The Golden Child (1986)

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

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writer:

Dennis Feldman

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, J.L. Reate, 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:

hare krishna | monastery | humanity | serpent | searcher | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Welker does a Demon Voice for the role of The Thing and The Dark Lord in this movie. He also uses the Demon Voice for Dr. Claw in Inspector Gadget, Darkseid in Super Friends, Lord Krulos in Dino Riders, Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat and The Devil Malebolgia in Spawn.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 27 mins) When Chandler stabs the demon creature with the dagger he is standing right in front of the demon, yet when the demon explodes immediately afterwards, Chandler is not there.

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Quotes

Chandler Jarrell: I know this is a dream, so I can say anything I want and get away with it. So I think I will say, from my heart, kiss my ass. Kiss my ass!
[Chandler puckers up]

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: The Morning After/Native Son/Brighton Beach Memoirs/Mother Teresa (1986)

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Soundtracks

THE BEST MAN IN THE WORLD
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson & Sue Ennis
Performed by Ann Wilson
ANN WILSON courtesy of CAPITOL RECORDS, INC.

User Reviews

Goofy, but fun comedy/adventure

"The Golden Child" was Eddie Murphy's first film since his megahit "Beverly Hills Cop". And even though it's not as good as "Cop", it's a fun comic adventure. Murphy stars as a finder of lost children who's assigned a most unusual case. His assignment: to find the title character, a child with mystical powers. This movie could have been titled "Beverly Hills Cop and the Temple of Doom" since parts of this movie plays like a Spielbergian adventure, kinda like an Indiana Jones comedy. It's got comedy with laughs, and adventure with special effects. Lots of fun.

*** (out of four)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Golden Child

Filming Locations:

Melrose Avenue at North Spaulding, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,549,711, 14 December 1986

Gross USA:

$79,817,937

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$79,817,937

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1