In association with

Big Trouble In Little China [1986]
from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong
directed by John Carpenter

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

Trying to explain the cult appeal of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China to the uninitiated is no easy task. The plot in a nutshell follows lorry driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) into San Francisco's Chinatown, where he's embroiled in street gang warfare over the mythical/magical intentions of would-be god David Lo Pan. There are wire-fu fight scenes, a floating eyeball and monsters from other dimensions. Quite simply it belongs to a genre of its own. Carpenter was drawing on years of chop-socky Eastern cinema tradition, which, at the time of the film's first release in 1986, was regrettably lost on a general audience. Predictably, it bombed.

But now that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have made it big in the West, and Hong Kong cinema has spread its influence across Hollywood, it's much, much easier to enjoy this film's happy-go-lucky cocktail of influences. Russell's cocky anti-hero is easy to cheer on as he "experiences some very unreasonable things" blundering from one fight to another, and lusts after the gorgeously green-eyed Kim Cattrall. The script is peppered with countless memorable lines, too ("It's all in the reflexes"). Originally outlined as a sequel to the equally obscure Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, Big Trouble is a bona fide cult cinema delight. Jack sums up the day's reactions perfectly, "China is here? I don't even know what the Hell that means!".

On the DVD: Big Trouble in Little China is released as a special edition two-disc set in its full unedited form. Some real effort has been put into both discs' animated menus, and the film itself is terrific in 2.35:1 and 5.1 (or DTS). The commentary by Carpenter and Russell may not be as fresh as their chat on The Thing, but clearly they both retain an enormous affection for the film. There are eight deleted scenes (some of which are expansions of existing scenes), plus a separate extended ending which was edited out for the right reasons. You'll also find a seven-minute featurette from the time of release, a 13-minute interview with FX guru Richard Edlund, a gallery of 200 photos, 25 pages of production notes and magazine articles from American Cinematographer and Cinefex. Best of all for real entertainment value is a music video with Carpenter and crew (the Coupe de Villes) coping with video FX and 80s hair-dos.--Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Another Carpenter classic
  Fortunately I have managed to miss this film over the last 22 years. I'm saying that because I suspect if I had seen it when it first came out I wouldn't have appreciated it. Now though, following Kill Bill and many other martial arts epics this is a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood stodge.
  Kurt Russell is superb as Jack, a wise-cracking truck driver who accidently stumbles upon an extremly unlikely plot revolving around two girls with green eyes and an ancient magician who is seeking to gain... more info

• !!
  such a weird film!!o my gosh, i was gobsmacked. It was so weird it was funny although i don't think its actually supposed to be a comedy. Kurt Russell is not my favourite actor and most films i've seen him in i found his acting poor. I wouldn't bother with this again.

• Gimme your best shot... I can take it.
  They don't make 'em like this any more. Big Trouble is a self-assured and knowingly absurd action/fantasy/adventure, and was not only one of John Carpenter's last great films, but perhaps the best work of both the cult director and his favourite leading man, Kurt Russell.
  The plot is Chinese mythological hokum with an edge of comedy and modern-day Americana. Trucker Jack Burton, whose confidence and assuredness in his own capabilities seems unshakeable, gets embroiled in a street war between sorcerer... more info

• "China is here? I don't even know what the Hell that means!".
  Everything about this movie is absurd..and purposefully so. Try to read the plot aloud without laughing: A mullet-wearing truck driver, Jack Burton, teams up with his Chinese-American buddy to battle ancient Chinatown demons commanded by the ethereal 2000 year old Lo Pan and rescue their respective green-eyed (would-be) girlfriends, all with the aid of local magician/tour bus driver Egg Sheng and his lazy-eyed sorcery.
  Yet, somehow, it all works perfectly. Kurt Russell is a riot as the hero, Jack... more info

Similar Products:

More from Amazon