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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Jack Burton's in for some serious trouble and you're in for some serious fun.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the fourth of five movies John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have done together. Elvis (1979), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), and Escape from L.A. (1996) are the other ones.

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Goofs

When Kurt Russell is pulling himself up on the wheelchair from falling into the well, you can clearly see an effects hinge under the chair that is actually pulling the chair back up, even though it appears as though Jack Burton is doing this with pure strength.

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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.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Workaholics: Trivia Pursuits (2015)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

"Classic" is not strong enough, how about "Holy"

I EMPHATICALLY recommend Big Trouble in Little China, but I must say that if you didn't grow up with this movie, I can see being very entertained but not in awe of it. I and many others like me repeatedly viewed this film throughout childhood and still love it just as much now as then. Nowadays, a new viewer who is past puberty will regard it with a more skeptical eye, comparing it to things it shouldn't be compared to. Some newcomers might get it right away, but I don't think they get the same thrill out of it as they might have as a child in the eighties. That's why this film needs to be shared with children (especially boys), who hopefully won't be too jaded by flashy nineties schlock to be impressed, which I think is exactly the problem for adults who are new to the movie. Perhaps it can't be taught, the reverence I mean, but the movie isn't any less fun and awesome for new viewers, just less magical. I would rate it with stars or something but that's like trying to grade your own religion. I love you, Mr. Burton.

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:

$11,100,000

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