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

Although the Golden Child is referred to as a boy throughout the film, J.L. Reate is actually a girl.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 8 mins) Leaving Tibet, most of the security guards are wearing Australian Army 'Rising Sun' collar badges on their berets.

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Quotes

Kee Nang: We'll be there soon.
Chandler Jarrell: Yeah, well, ya' better have a spatula where we're goin' cause my ass is frozen to this yak.

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Connections

Referenced in In Living Color: The Jackson Bunch (1991)

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Soundtracks

BODY TALK
By Stephen Pearcy, Warren Demartini & Juan Croucier
Performed by Ratt
Courtesy of ATLANTIC RECORDING CORPORATION

User Reviews

Not often mentioned with Murphy's classics, but a fun little flick.

When the only truly pure being on Earth is taken by a Demon and his bizarre, circus freak troupe of minions from the holy place where he is being raised who you gonna call? In this case Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy), a private investigator who focuses on locating missing children while wearing ridiculous hats.

But Chandler sez "No" when initially asked by the exotic-hot Kee, who is working on behalf of the Tibetan forces of good - some business card that would be.

"No matter", she replies, "You are already on the case". So Na-Na to you Mr Jarrell.

Jarrell is fast talking, hip, and irreverent but well meaning - in other words everything that summed up Eddie Murphy in his "relevant" phase, which ended around the release of Boomerang when Murphy got all serious and introspective and sh*t.

Kee on the other hand is poised, deliberate, sombre and calm, but surprisingly well equipped at unexpected times - and I'm not just referring to the scene where she gets her white blouse soaked for no good reason... well two good reasons.

After the two team up the trail takes them to the lair of a bikie gang, then Chinatown where they meet Kala the Oracle (of sorts) who informs Chandler of the magnitude of his quest - being that he is the Chosen One after all...

Chandler also learns that the Golden Child is a once in a thousand generations birth, born specifically to rescue humanity, capable of restoring life with a touch, wise beyond reason and with the ability to make a Pepsi can dance to classic 1950s songs...

So there's that.

There is a cool oddball dream sequence and a trip to Tibet to obtain the sacred dagger that can free the imprisoned Golden Child, and a pretty hilarious scene where Chandler and Kee have to bluff the airport security to escape from Tibet.

When finally meets his nemesis Sardo Numspaa (Charles Dance) formally to discuss the dagger for child swap things heat up, before a good quickie 80s finale in which everything builds to a crescendo, the figureheads of good and evil have a showdown and all is resolved in about 6 minutes.

Perhaps The Golden Child doesn't move quite as fast as films do today and the FX - which were pretty cool in the 80s - don't hold up quite so well now, it is fun and enjoyable while it lasts and also has a few quotables, including "One of her ancestors was raped by a dragon", which is a line you don't hear every day.

Final Rating - 6.5 / 10. Not often listed among Eddie Murphy's highlights, but The Golden Child is a very solid and worthwhile - if a little dated - relic from the 80s.

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