Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

A rough-and-tumble trucker helps rescue his friend's fiancée from an ancient sorcerer in a supernatural battle beneath Chinatown.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt Russell	...	Jack Burton
Kim Cattrall	...	Gracie Law
Dennis Dun	...	Wang Chi
James Hong	...	David Lo Pan
Victor Wong	...	Egg Shen
Kate Burton	...	Margo
Donald Li	...	Eddie Lee
Carter Wong	...	Thunder
Peter Kwong	...	Rain
James Pax	...	Lightning
Suzee Pai	...	Miao Yin
Chao Li Chi	...	Uncle Chu
Jeff Imada	...	Needles
Rummel Mor	...	Joe Lucky
Craig Ng	...	One Ear

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

truck driver | green eyes | chinatown | 1980s | chinese | 

---

Taglines:

Some people pick the damnedest places to start a fight! (UK poster)

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter had seen Dennis Dun in Year of the Dragon (1985) and liked his work. He met the actor twice before casting him in the role of Wang Chi only a few days before principal photography.

---

Goofs

When Jack, Wang et al exit the Wing Kong Import/Export Exchange Company, Uncle Choo is waiting outside in a yellow bus. Wing Kong security then open fire on the bus as it drives away. However, as the bus turns a corner seconds later you can see that there aren't any bullet holes or broken windows on the side of the bus they were shooting.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Kung Fu and Titties (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Big Trouble in Little China
Written by John Carpenter
Performed by The Coupe de Villes

User Reviews

Carpenter catches the spirit of the B grade serial flic 100 times better than Spielberg

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!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

2 July 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,723,211, 6 July 1986

Gross USA:

$11,100,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,100,577

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, TAFT Entertainment Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1