Truck driver Jack Burton arrives in Chinatown, San Francisco, and goes to the airport with his Chinese friend Wang Chi to welcome his green-eyed fiancée Miao Yin who is arriving from China. However she is kidnapped on the arrival by a Chinese street gang and Jack and Wang chase the group. Soon they learn that the powerful evil sorcerer called David Lo Pan, who has been cursed more than two thousand years ago to exist without physical body, needs to marry a woman with green eyes to retrieve his physical body and Miao is the chosen one. Jack and Wang team-up with the lawyer Gracie Law, the bus driver and sorcerer apprentice Egg Shen and their friends and embark in a great adventure in the underground of Chinatown, where they face a world of magicians and magic, monsters and martial arts fighters.Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Problems began to arise when John Carpenter learned that The Golden Child (1986) featured a similar theme and was going to be released around the same time. (As it happened, Carpenter was asked by Paramount Pictures to direct that film). He remarked in an interview, "How many adventure pictures dealing with Chinese mysticism have been released by the major studios in the past twenty years? For two of them to come along at the exact same time is more than mere coincidence." To beat the rival production at being released in theaters, Big Trouble went into production in October 1985 so that it could open in July 1986, five months before The Golden Child (1986)'s Christmas release. See more »
Goofs
When Lo Pan encounters Gracie, who is just seeing the floating Mao Yin, Lo Pan's pinky-nail is as long as the others for just one scene. In all of the other scenes his pinky nail is extended. 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 »
Alternate Versions
The UK cinema version was passed as PG, with a cut made to Kurt Russell's line of 'Fuck It!". The 15-rated video version restored the profanity, but was cut by 9 secs with edits made to the fight between the clans. The 2002 DVD release features the uncut version with all cuts waived by the BBFC. See more »
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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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!