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Big Trouble in Little China

PG-13 Released May 30, 1986 1h 38m Action Fantasy List
73% Tomatometer 67 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.
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Big Trouble in Little China

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Critics Consensus

Brimming with energy and packed with humor, Big Trouble in Little China distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them.

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Critics Reviews

View All (67) Critics Reviews
Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald A rollicking, colourful comic strip of a movie with bells on. Rated: 2/4 Jun 29, 2021 Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution Carpenter and his lively cast seem to be having such a good time that the easiest thing to do is relax and enjoy the ride. In a way, this is the movie "Escape from New York" was trying to be but never quite managed to pull off. Jun 29, 2021 Full Review Kathleen Carroll New York Daily News Watching Kurt Russell display not only a set of bulging biceps, but also... easy-going self-confidence is admittedly fun at times, even if the movie is as impenetrable as chop suey. Rated: 2/4 Jun 29, 2021 Full Review John Ferguson Radio Times Horror maestro John Carpenter is clearly in awe of Hong Kong movies, but this brave attempt to fuse martial arts action with a westernised adventure story sadly doesn't quite gel. Rated: 2/5 Sep 13, 2024 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia On many occasions I have the feeling that its recycling of genres with a B-series formula is hackneyed and terribly boring when Kurt Russell fights in a simple way in the bizarre alleys of Chinatown. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/10 Dec 21, 2022 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills ...it is certainly great fun—as deliberately absurd a contraption... Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff S So unique and amazing while retaining the feel of a traditional martial arts film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review Rosana B Quando assistimos a filmes antigos devemos ter a maleabilidade de analisarmos com os olhos do ano sua produção, para não corrermos o risco de sermos injustos, entretanto achei o filme bem chato, e olha que eu adoro os monstrinhos a parte Mística me encantou, a magia com efeitos especiais crasos, mas nada disso foi suficiente para consultar minha simpatia... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/06/24 Full Review Ryan K Quite possibly the best of Kurt Russell. The "sidekick who thinks he's the hero" stretches his range as he provides foolhardy bravery and comic relief to Wang, the true hero. Every scene is better than the last. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Rich W My all time greatest movie. I can literally watch this over and over. It is absolute comfort food. Really wished this had done better on release so that we could have continued the adventures. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review r96 s 'Big Trouble in Little China' didn't entertain me. There isn't anything about it that I really like, to be honest. It isn't a truly terrible movie by any means, but the story didn't take hold of me and the characters and their actors weren't all that watchable. I wasn't sold on the plot's set-up and then when it goes crackers it was too goofy for me to enjoy too. It's one of the weakest Kurt Russell performances that I've seen, and I'm someone who rates that guy fairly highly as an actor. Elsewhere, Kim Cattrall is kinda forgettable, while James Hong (unique voice aside) doesn't get given enough to stand out. The make-up/special effects, particularly for the latter, didn't do it for me either, likewise with the humour. A quick glance at Wikipedia suggests this had competition with 'The Golden Child'. Well, if we're comparing, then that one did it better, albeit only by a relatively small distance because I don't recall much about that Eddie Murphy movie; it has been over four years since I watched it for the one and only time, admittedly. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/01/24 Full Review Joe S This is my GOAT! Not a wasted moment. Non-stop wacky action, a crazy story line and look at all that star power! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.
Director
John Carpenter
Producer
Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter
Gary Goldman, David Weinstein, W.D. Richter
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
TAFT Entertainment, SLM Production Group, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Action, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 30, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$11.0M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Mono, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
70mm, Scope (2.35:1)
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