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279 reviews in total

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142 out of 156 people found the following review useful:
Do you believe in magic?, 31 August 2004
Author: mastac-1 from United Kingdom

Despite his recent slide into mediocrity, John Carpenter is responsible for what could be termed some of the biggest cult movies of the 1980's. Following his resounding success with Halloween he went on to direct a number of quirky yet excellent movies that began to tail of toward the end of the 80's with the release of such dross as Prince of Darkness. Carpenters movies are probably some of the most under appreciated pictures of recent cinema history on a commercial level, and none more so than perhaps one of his finest, the delightfully absurd action movie Big Trouble in Little China.

The plot is as daft as they come. Loud mouthed truck driver Jack Burton (played by Carpenter's long time collaborator Kurt Russell) arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown where he agrees to help out old friend Wang (played by Denis Dun) by driving him to the airport to pick up his green eyed fiancé. Things quickly go south however when a band of street punks kidnap the girl and the motley duo set off in pursuit. The pair soon find themselves caught in the middle of gang war that takes on a decidedly mythical bent and are forced to flee while Jack's truck is stolen. All this occurs within the first fifteen to twenty minutes.

If there's one thing you can say about Big Trouble, it's that it's action packed. The plot (such as it is) moves at an incredible pace and the film rarely slows to take breath as it rolls from one action set piece to the next. In such movies, normally the dialogue, and subsequently the acting suffer from a lack of any real attention. Not so here. Carpenter balances everything so perfectly that it's a wonder his career took such a slide. Although the actual story may be incredibly absurd and at times suffers from some rather obvious gaps of logic, the dialogue never fails to sparkle. Russell gives his very best wise ass shtick as Burton, the confused have a go hero who's so out of his depth he should really be fish bait, while Dun excels with a character who is consistently more heroic and capable than the lead. Another wonderful turn comes from an appearance by a young Kim Cattrall (of Sex and the City fame) as Gracie Law, a downmarket lawyer with an ability to talk at incredible speed. Some of the scenes between these three are pure comic genius, as Dun and Cattrall rattle out plot information at a rapid staccato pace while an increasingly bewildered Russell tries desperately to keep up.

Despite such positive remarks, Big Trouble was perhaps one of Carpenter's biggest commercial flops. While many of the movie's fans find this difficult to understand I do not. The reason for its failure is really incredibly simple. In terms of its style and the underlying comedy behind the piece, Carpenter's loving part tribute, part send up of all things Kung Fu was way ahead of the curve in every important respect. Take the relationship between our 'hero' Jack and his 'sidekick' Wang. The true dynamic of this relationship is a wonderfully post modern slant on the cliché buddy dynamic that existed in the 80's and it was done long before post modernist humour became truly fashionable in films (the most obvious example of post modern piece of cinema being Scream). Despite receiving star billing, Russell's Jack is actually a sidekick to Wang. While Wang has the knowledge, the skill and the courage to make him a true classic hero figure, Jack lags behind, being brash, ignorant and of little actual use in a fight. Similarly the action, although remarkably quaint by today's standards in both its look and execution, is a surprisingly accurate foreshadow of the current Hollywood move toward the more graceful, balletic chaos exhibited by movies like The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Ultimately Big Trouble in Little China is a movie that survived thanks to the home video market and for that we can only be grateful. While its looks may have aged, its sense of humour and style is as fresh today as the day it first rolled out in cinemas. In short, it's pure escapist magic.

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136 out of 151 people found the following review useful:
A B-Movie on purpose, and it's a beautiful thing, 25 October 2004

Author: rog21 (rburrell921@hotmail.com) from Austin, Texas

This movie occupied most my junior high years. Action, suspense, cheesy diaologue, and martial arts galore. What more could you ask for from a b-movie that is clearly a b-movie? Carpenter and the cast and crew must have had a blast on this film because I can't think of a single movie that combines some of my favorite things about movies: Action, comedy, violence, martial arts, and a small tour bus driver named Egg who also knows a little magic. Magic indeed. This is movie magic. Agree or disagree, you can't deny that Carpenter succeeded on all levels when he made this movie. Saturday matineeish? Yes. B-movie cheese? Yes. Pure movie-going fun? Absolutely. Watch and enjoy.

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98 out of 113 people found the following review useful:
Carpenter catches the spirit of the B grade serial flic 100 times better than Spielberg, 28 July 1999
Author: johnv-3 from texas

What can one say. The movie plays like one of those great old comic books you read as a kid. The dialogue is so cartoonish that you expect to see balloons appear above the characters heads. The acting is excellent, with everyone taking a tongue in cheek approach and obviously having a good time making the film. Some of the best fight scenes in recent memory, with everyone "kung-fu fighting" at the drop of a hat. Kurt Russel is a hoot as the more than slightly dumb macho hero. Cartoon violence minus the gore, humourous special effects, evil magicians, green eyed damsels in distress, even a monster or two.

A great film for a night of light movies! See it if you get a chance!

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68 out of 87 people found the following review useful:
John Caprenter's opus magnum, 11 January 2000

Author: unclebyblood from The U.S. of A

John Carpenter really steps away from his usual fare in this easy going `fortune-cookie theater' parody that was originally the manuscript for the second Buckaroo Banzai movie. It features a cast of pithy characters, bizarre and memorable dialogue, entertaining special effects and fight scenes that are well choreographed by western standards.

For those of you who already love John Carpenter, prepare for one of his finest moments. In 1987 Carpenter's sentimental sci-fi-side made `Starman' an instant classic and in 1984 his tense, brooding gothism made `Prince of Darkness' truly frightening. Sandwiched in-between these movie greats is the 1986 production of `Big Trouble on Little China', where eastern martial arts mysticism meets John Wayne bravado with zany and often absurdly hilarious results. How can you not love a movie unwilling to take itself too seriously while at the same time still managing to keep a straight face?

Carpenter's skills as a director, producer and songwriter come together in this film to produce what many consider to be his finest work. Big Trouble' s theme and content naturally compliments Carpenter's style of cynical humor, flashy cinematic expression and loose, caricature-esque development of memorable story line figures. If this isn't his opus magnum then it is at least one of his greatest moments as a director.

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67 out of 89 people found the following review useful:
Its all in the reflexes, 24 July 2001

Author: lenny from old bridge new jersey

Now let me just speak my peace before some of you either laugh at me or totally agree with me but i feel Big Trouble in Little China is one of the greatest movies of all time!! Actually it is my favorite movie of all time!! Yes i know such movies as Saving Private Ryan, Shawshank Redemption, or even Willy Wonka might be looked upon as better movies but i say "Who Cares!!!" Big trouble in Little China is a fun movie that you can sit back on a lonely night and just enjoy. The plot is pretty basic and that is why it is easy to follow. Yet the acting of Kurt Russell alone makes the movie. Im not saying this just because i am a BIG KR fan but he just does a wonderful job in this movie as a Truck drive who has no clue on whats going on but just goes with the flow! The witty lines of Kurt Russell in this movie are some of the funniest lines i have ever heard come from an actors mouth.. I mean the whole part of Lo-pan and Jack in the wheelchair is one of the funniest peices of material i have ever seen on the big screen... Well gtg and just remember if some wild 8ft tall monster grabs the back of your favorite head and slams it aganist the bar room wall and ask if you paid your dues!!??! well just tell him what ole jack always says.. " Yes sir the check is in the mail"

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52 out of 60 people found the following review useful:
This John Carpenter movie has it all!, 23 October 1999
Author: Simon (simon@dawsoncity.co.uk) from N.Ireland

If you`ve ever heard of the director John Carpenter, you`ll be familiar with his works (of art), like Hallowe`en, Escape From New York, Assault On Precient 13, The Thing, They Live, and this movie, a mid 80`s classic starring none other than Carpenter`s favourite front man, Kurt Russell. Set in Chinatown, Los Angeles, its a modern day fable of good versus evil, Chinese black magic, the hero storms the castle type affair. Russell plays Jack Burton, a wise cracking long distance truck triver and all American hero, passing through Chinatown on some business. After a card game with old friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), Wang (now penniless thanks to Burton`s good fortune) pursuades Jack to drive him to the airport, to pick up his childhood sweetheart, a girl Wang has not seen since they were children. Its here the story begins, as Mao Yin, Wang`s girlfriend, is captured by a mysterious gang. The two form a pact to rescue the girl from the clutches of the evil Lo Pan, former crimelord of Chinatown, a myth who has apparently lived to the age of almost 200, with a little help from some black magic.

Thats it, I`m saying no more, cos I don`t want to spoil it. You`ve probably seen the movie anyway.

Its hard to pick a favourite John Carpenter film, very hard, but this one has it all. Its a great action movie, a great comedy, an original story, great lines, and even a love story, a perfect blend of what big screen entertainment should be. Its strange though, that the ending was left so open, begging for a sequel that was never made.

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46 out of 49 people found the following review useful:
A Tongue-In-Cheek '80s 'Classic', 22 June 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

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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74 out of 106 people found the following review useful:
Why this movie is the greatest movie of all time, 6 October 2004

Author: Nick Barnhardt (phoenix_united_@hotmail.com) from Madison, Indiana

Big Trouble in Little China is one of the few films that generally impressed me and didn't give off a "fake" feeling like a lot of movies that are coming out today. I grew up watching this movie almost every day, and I continue to do so now. The characters in this movie are played very well, especially Kurt Russell's part as Jack Burton. The movie blends action, comedy, and even some science fiction/horror, all the while staying solid instead of seeming like a bunch of unrelated parts thrown together. If you are a fan of John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, action movies, the 80's, or a fan of great films, definitely check this one out. In fewer words, run out and BUY Big Trouble in Little China right now!

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55 out of 72 people found the following review useful:
Best adventure/fantasy flick made ever, 23 February 2001

Author: journeyman_steve from midwest USA

John Carpenter's career peaked with Big Trouble in Little China -- and what a peak it is. No other director/writer has attempted to create what Carpenter did in the 80's. Why this took so long to come to DVD is beyond me. This movie makes the best mix of cavalier anti-heroes, humorous villains, dark magic overtones, and good old fashioned fight scenes (done up as a mix of kung fu with old west shoot-em-up).

Those who don't like this movie don't get it's inherent self-deprecatory theme. This movie is all about fun. If you don't get it, see a doctor about your broken funny bone!

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53 out of 72 people found the following review useful:
This movie moves me, 30 November 1998
Author: hatter from North Haven, Connecticut

Give this movie a ten, it has more excitement and pure fun than almost any other, John Carpenter has constructed a masterpiece. This movie is awesome, It's got Kurt Russell at his best. Every line that he says just rocks. This picture is the most unique film that had come around in years when it was released. Nothing comes close to its ingenuity or classic mixture of Chinese mythology. If you don't watch it I will personally search out and destroy you. Like some dude up there said, just chill with your popcorn snacks and drinks, and saddle up, because it's going to be one hell of a ride!

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