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Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

7.2
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Ratings: 7.2/10 from 59,740 users  
Reviews: 289 user | 97 critic

An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.

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Title: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) on IMDb 7.2/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Dennis Dun ...
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Carter Wong ...
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Suzee Pai ...
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Jeff Imada ...
Rummel Mor ...
Craig Ng ...
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Storyline

When trucker Jack Burton agreed to take his friend Wang Chi to pick up his fiancee at the airport, he never expected to get involved in a supernatural battle between good and evil. Wang's fiancee has emerald green eyes, which make her a perfect target for an immortal sorcerer named Lo Pan and his three invincible cronies. Lo Pan must marry a girl with green eyes so he can regain his physical form. Now, Jack must save Wang's fiancee from Lo Pan and his henchmen, and win back his stolen truck. But how can he defeat an enemy who has no body? Written by Mr. X

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

They told Jack Burton to go to hell...and that's exactly where he's going! (From Trailer) See more »


Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

2 July 1986 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China  »

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$11,100,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

According to John Carpenter and Kurt Russell in the DVD Commentary, the story was originally written as a western but Carpenter decided to set it during modern times. They even mention that instead of Jack Burton's truck being stolen, it was originally his horse. See more »

Goofs

When Jack shoots the lock off of the first line of cages his gun fires twice before the first sound of a gunshot is heard, then at least three more times, again with only one gunshot heard. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Pinstripe lawyer: What I'd like to do today is get your version of what happened.
Egg Shen: Oh, you mean the truth.
Pinstripe lawyer: Of course. First, just state your name and your occupation for the record.
Egg Shen: Oh, Egg Shen. Bus driver.
See more »


Soundtracks

"Big Trouble in Little China"
Written by John Carpenter
Performed by The Coupe de Villes
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A Tongue-In-Cheek '80s 'Classic'
22 June 2006 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

This is one of the wildest stories ever: a cartoon come to life and a mixture of an old-time serial with modern special-effects with bold colors all the way through.

This movie is pure tongue-in-cheek. One just has to take nothing seriously in here and just go along on the wild ride. From the nonsense mystical Chinese sorcery that is taken so reverently, to the American hero "Jack Burton" (Kurt Russell) who displays the fearless macho man, to combatants flying through the air (this was 15 years before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed), to one exotic character and situation after another - it's all absurd fun.

Russell plays his role to the hilt, playing his favorite kind of role when he was younger: brash, bold and an ignoramus who fears absolutely nothing. His lines are deliberately corny and one can bet he had a lot of fun making this movie. He even gets in a few good comedic lines. His partner, Dennis Dunn, is a likable guy with a devilish grin on his face and Kim Cattrell plays the more modern damsel-in-distress role to the hilt, too.

They could have lightened this up a bit on the action - it gets to be too much at times - but the movie is just slightly over an hour-and-half. It still wore me out the first few times I saw it.

All in all: ludicrous fun, a kind of Indiana Jones in Chinatown adventure flick.


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