Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Gary Goldman (written by) &
David Z. Weinstein (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 July 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Adventure doesn't come any bigger!

Plot:

An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Green Eyes | Rescue | Fiancee | Truck

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (USA) (complete title)
Big Trouble in Little China (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
As Aventuras de Jack Burton nas Garras do Mandarim (Portugal) [pt]
Golpe en la pequeña China (Spain) [es]
Grosso guaio a Chinatown (Italy) [it]
Hamos stin Chinatown (Greece) [el]
Hvem springer kineserne for (Denmark) [da]
Küçük çin'de büyük bela (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Les aventures de Jack Burton dans les griffes du mandarin (France) [fr]
Nagy zür kis kínában (Hungary) [hu]
Os Aventureiros do Bairro Proibido (Brazil) [pt]
Rescate en Barrio Chino (Argentina) [es]
Säpinää Chinatownissa (Finland) [fi]
Scandal în cartierul chinezesc (Romania) [ro]
Wielka draka w chinskiej dzielnicy (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:15 | South Korea:15 | UK:PG (1986) (cut) | Denmark:15 | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 (2009) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 (w) | Germany:16 (special edition) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Conzelman Road, Marin Headlands, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In the wedding Scene where LoPan is putting the Needle of Love in Miao Yin, James Hong actually jabbed Suzee Pai too hard. You can even see her jump as he puts it in her.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Jack shoots the lock off of the first line of cages his gun fires twice before the first sound of a gunshot is heard, then at least three more times, again with only one gunshot heard.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp (#1.5)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Big Trouble in Little China

John Caprenter's opus magnum

John Carpenter really steps away from his usual fare in this easy going `fortune-cookie theater' parody that was originally the manuscript for the second Buckaroo Banzai movie. It features a cast of pithy characters, bizarre and memorable dialogue, entertaining special effects and fight scenes that are well choreographed by western standards.

For those of you who already love John Carpenter, prepare for one of his finest moments. In 1987 Carpenter's sentimental sci-fi-side made `Starman' an instant classic and in 1984 his tense, brooding gothism made `Prince of Darkness' truly frightening. Sandwiched in-between these movie greats is the 1986 production of `Big Trouble on Little China', where eastern martial arts mysticism meets John Wayne bravado with zany and often absurdly hilarious results. How can you not love a movie unwilling to take itself too seriously while at the same time still managing to keep a straight face?

Carpenter's skills as a director, producer and songwriter come together in this film to produce what many consider to be his finest work. Big Trouble' s theme and content naturally compliments Carpenter's style of cynical humor, flashy cinematic expression and loose, caricature-esque development of memorable story line figures. If this isn't his opus magnum then it is at least one of his greatest moments as a director.