The Golden Child (1986)

A private detective specializing in missing children is charged with the task of finding a special child that dark forces want to eliminate.

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writer:

Dennis Feldman

Stars:

J.L. Reate, Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
J.L. Reate	...	The Golden Child
Eddie Murphy	...	Chandler Jarrell
Charles Dance	...	Sardo Numspa
Charlotte Lewis	...	Kee Nang
Victor Wong	...	The Old Man
Randall 'Tex' Cobb	...	Til
James Hong	...	Doctor Hong
Shakti Chen	...	Kala (as Shakti)
Tau Logo	...	Yu
Tiger Chung Lee	...	Khan
Pons Maar	...	Fu
Peter Kwong	...	Tommy Tong
Wally Taylor	...	Detective Boggs
Eric Douglas	...	Yellow Dragon
Charles Levin	...	TV Host

Storyline

Eddie Murphy plays a detective with a speciality of finding lost children. He is told he is the 'Chosen one' who will find and protect the Golden Child, a Bhuddist mystic who was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. Murphy disbelieves the mysticism but finds more and more evidence of demon worship as he investigates.

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Plot Keywords:

demon | boy | detective | mysticism | chosen one | 

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Taglines:

Eddie Murphy Is The Chosen One

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Auf der Suche nach dem goldenen Kind

Filming Locations:

440 Seaton Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$79,817,937 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eddie Murphy Productions, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the Golden Child is referred to as a boy throughout the film, J.L. Reate is actually a girl.

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Goofs

When Kee Nang is inside the biker house, she jumps up and grabs onto some pipes. The arms grabbing the pipes are much more muscular than hers.

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Quotes

Chandler Jarrell: Ha! I got the knife! Now turn on the goddamn lights!

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Connections

References Finder of Lost Loves (1984)

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Soundtracks

"ANOTHER DAY'S LIFE"
By David Wheatley

User Reviews

A knock-off it may be, but it's a good quality one, the lustre of which is untarnished.

Whenever I see most reviews it's called 'a misfire for Eddie Murphy'. These critics want to take a look at some of the stuff he's doing these days, and maybe soften their stance in retrospect... "The Golden Child" is not highbrow entertainment, but thanks to some of the cast it breaths new life into old clichés, and gives Murphy one of his best roles. I don't understand the pervading lack of 'love' for its efforts, at all. Perhaps it was released at a time when the establishment had grown weary of knockabout, thrill-a-minute adventures? Steven Spielberg started it with Indiana Jones; it's unfair to make this one a scapegoat when what is possibly its biggest sin is also utterly harmless. There's nothing necessarily wrong with trying to capitalise on trends.

Yes it's silly, but even an occasional observer should be able to understand that 'ridiculous' is where Hollywood's idea of mysticism begins and ends. What's more important than believability with a story like this is that the audience have entertaining tour guides on hand to show them the mysterious sights. Michael Ritchie and Eddie Murphy fit the bill for this capacity just fine. My advice to you is to buy the ticket and take the ride.