Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
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A cocky truck driver must navigate a mystical underworld to rescue a woman from an ancient sorcerer.
The story
Truck driver Jack Burton accompanies his friend Wang Chi to San Francisco's Chinatown to rescue Wang's fiancée, Miao Yin, who has been captured by a gang of bandits. The duo discovers that the woman is being sought by a powerful sorcerer named David Lo Pan, who needs her green eyes to break an ancient curse. As they navigate the mysterious underworld beneath the city, they encounter various warriors and supernatural forces. Jack and Wang must navigate a dangerous landscape of mystical threats and martial arts to reach the sorcerer's lair and save the woman before she is sacrificed.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jack Burton, a truck driver, and his friend Wang Chi travel to San Francisco's Chinatown to rescue Wang's fiancée, Miao Yin, from a gang of bandits. They enter a mystical underworld and encounter the sorcerer David Lo Pan, who seeks to break a curse by marrying Miao Yin. Along the way, they encounter the 'Three Storms'—warriors with weather-based powers—and various martial arts factions. After several skirmishes and a failed attempt to infiltrate a brothel, they reach Lo Pan's lair. They are joined by allies including the magician Egg Shen. A final battle ensues where Jack and Wang fight the sorcerer's minions. Lo Pan eventually consumes Miao Yin's blood to regain his physical form, and a final confrontation leads to his death at Jack's hands. The group escapes the collapsing lair, and while the others celebrate their victory, it is revealed that a 'Wild-Man' creature has survived and stowed away on Jack's truck.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Carpenter
- Writers
- Gary Goldman · writer; David Z. Weinstein · writer; W. D. Richter · adaptation
- Cast and characters
- Kurt Russell · Jack Burton; Kim Cattrall · Gracie Law; Dennis Dun · Wang Chi; James Hong · Lo Pan; Victor Wong · Egg Shen; Kate Burton · Margo Litzenberger; Donald Li · Eddie Lee; Carter Wong · Thunder; Peter Kwong · Rain; James Pax · Lightning; Suzee Pai · Miao Yin; Chao-Li Chi · Uncle Chu
- Genres
- fantasy; action
- Themes
- Ancient curses; Martial arts; Mysticism
- Tone and mood
- Action-comedy; Supernatural
- Premise and plot tags
- Road movie; Urban fantasy; Kung fu
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by Gary Goldman and David Z. Weinstein, later rewritten by W. D. Richter.
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews but was a commercial failure at the box office. It has since gained a steady audience on home video and is considered a cult classic.
- Awards and nominations
- Best Music · Saturn Awards · 14th · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was released to compete against the Eddie Murphy film The Golden Child.; The character Jack Burton was designed as a 'sidekick who thinks he is a leading man'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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