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IMDbPro

High Road to China

  • 1983
  • PG
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
High Road to China (1983)
During WW1, an alcoholic American biplane pilot is hired by the spoiled daughter of an industrialist to find her father who disappeared in Asia.
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
51 Photos
AdventureDramaRomance

During WW1, an alcoholic American biplane pilot is hired by the spoiled daughter of an industrialist to find her father who disappeared in Asia.During WW1, an alcoholic American biplane pilot is hired by the spoiled daughter of an industrialist to find her father who disappeared in Asia.During WW1, an alcoholic American biplane pilot is hired by the spoiled daughter of an industrialist to find her father who disappeared in Asia.

  • Director
    • Brian G. Hutton
  • Writers
    • Jon Cleary
    • Sandra Weintraub
    • S. Lee Pogostin
  • Stars
    • Tom Selleck
    • Bess Armstrong
    • Jack Weston
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Brian G. Hutton
    • Writers
      • Jon Cleary
      • Sandra Weintraub
      • S. Lee Pogostin
    • Stars
      • Tom Selleck
      • Bess Armstrong
      • Jack Weston
    • 70User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Trailer

    Photos51

    Tom Selleck in High Road to China (1983)
    Tom Selleck in High Road to China (1983)
    Robert Morley in High Road to China (1983)
    High Road to China (1983)
    High Road to China (1983)
    High Road to China (1983)
    High Road to China (1983)
    High Road to China (1983)
    Tom Selleck in High Road to China (1983)
    Tom Selleck and Wilford Brimley in High Road to China (1983)
    Wilford Brimley in High Road to China (1983)
    Timothy Bateson and Robert Morley in High Road to China (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Selleck
    Tom Selleck
    • Patrick O'Malley
    Bess Armstrong
    Bess Armstrong
    • Eve Tozer
    Jack Weston
    Jack Weston
    • Struts
    Wilford Brimley
    Wilford Brimley
    • Bradley Tozer
    Robert Morley
    Robert Morley
    • Bentik
    Brian Blessed
    Brian Blessed
    • Suleman Khan
    Cassandra Gava
    Cassandra Gava
    • Alessa
    Michael Sheard
    Michael Sheard
    • Charlie Shade
    Lynda La Plante
    Lynda La Plante
    • Lina
    • (as Lynda Marchal)
    Timothy Carlton
    Timothy Carlton
    • Officer
    Shayur Mehta
    • Ahmed
    Terry Richards
    Terry Richards
    • Ginger
    Jeremy Child
    Jeremy Child
    • John Silversmith
    Peter Llewellyn Williams
    • Franjten Khan
    Dino Shafeek
    Dino Shafeek
    • Satvinda
    • (as Dino Shaffer)
    Robert Lee
    Robert Lee
    • Zura
    Peggy Sirr
    • Alessa's Mother
    Anthony Chinn
    Anthony Chinn
    • General Wong
    • Director
      • Brian G. Hutton
    • Writers
      • Jon Cleary
      • Sandra Weintraub
      • S. Lee Pogostin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actress Bess Armstrong once said of her co-star Tom Selleck whilst doing publicity for the picture: "He is real gorgeous, and he has some real power now, but he doesn't use that, or his charm, to exploit women. He genuinely seems to like women. For an actor, that's rare".
    • Goofs
      Aircraft from this era did not have wireless radios.
    • Quotes

      Zura: The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.

    • Connections
      Featured in Never Tell Me Never (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Charleston
      (uncredited)

      Written by Cecil Mack and James P. Johnson

    User reviews70

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A Good Old-Fashioned Escape Movie
    The best thing about "High Road to China" is that it does not try to change the world by making a social statement. It does not try to do anything but be an escape for moviegoers. Is it a perfect film? No. But this is one of my favorite films because it does just that - it allows me to escape. This much under-appreciated movie tells an excellent story: a rich brat living in the Roaring 20's hires a flying ace to find her father in a remote part of China. From a cinemagraphic point-of-view, it is a very good-looking film. Bess Armstrong never looked better on screen. And although her character of Eve Tozer is not always believable, I liked her as the rich brat who thinks everything has its price. I was never a Tom Selleck fan, but as Patrick O'Malley, he makes the perfect flying daredevil - a hard drinker who has trouble showing that he has a heart. The late Jack Weston, who was one of the better character actors of our modern times, is perfectly cast as the sidekick mechanic Struts. And the late Robert Morley provides good comic relief in the midst of being the heavy.

    The movie simply looks good with its gorgeous locations and colors. The flying sequences - especially the dogfight between O'Malley and the German ace (complete with references to the famous Red Baron) is first-rate, and the battle scenes are shot very well. The pace of the film is not always even, but one sequence after another has our protagonists in some dire predicament. And it is fun watching them try and get out of each one. It should have done better at the box office, for the film is still a favorite of cable movie channels and people who discover it on video for the first time. I would recommend this film to anyone, because it is simply a little gem and a wonderful film for movie buffs who wish to escape.
    helpful•35
    2
    • director1616
    • Aug 5, 2001

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    FAQ1

    • What did Evie's father mean when he said that "she'll have all the real wealth"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Yugoslavia
      • Hong Kong
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Cesta do Cíny
    • Filming locations
      • Yugoslavia
    • Production companies
      • City Films
      • Golden Harvest Company
      • Jadran Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $19,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $28,445,927
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,156,049
      • Mar 20, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $28,445,927
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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