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''Big Trouble in Little China'' (also in known as ''John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China'') is a 1986 American fantasy
action comedy film Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of acti ...
directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall,
Dennis Dun Dennis Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American actor. Early life and education Dun is from Stockton, California. He is of Chinese descent. Film and TV Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), ''B ...
and James Hong. The film tells the story of truck driver Jack Burton (Russell), who helps his friend Wang Chi (Dun) rescue Wang's green-eyed fiancée from bandits in San Francisco's Chinatown. They go into the mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown, where they face an ancient sorcerer named David Lo Pan (Hong), who requires a woman with green eyes to marry him in order to be released from a centuries-old curse. Although the original screenplay by first-time screenwriters
Gary Goldman Gary Wayne Goldman (born November 17, 1944) is an American film producer, director, animator, writer and voice actor. He is known for working on films with Don Bluth such as '' All Dogs Go to Heaven'' for his directorial debut, ''Anastasia'', ' ...
and David Z. Weinstein was envisioned as a
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
set in the 1880s, screenwriter
W. D. Richter Walter Duch Richter (born December 7, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He is best known for adapting ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'', directing ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' ...
was hired to rewrite the script extensively and modernize it. The studio hired Carpenter to direct the film and rushed ''Big Trouble in Little China'' into production so that it would be released before a similarly themed Eddie Murphy film, '' The Golden Child'', which was slated to come out around the same time. The project fulfilled Carpenter's long-standing desire to make a martial arts film. The film was a commercial failure, grossing $11.1 million in North America, below its estimated $19 to $25 million budget. It received generally positive reviews, but left Carpenter disillusioned with
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
and influenced his decision to return to independent filmmaking. It gained a steady audience on
home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming m ...
and has become a
cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
.


Plot

Truck driver Jack Burton wins a bet with his friend Wang Chi. To make sure he follows through on payment, Jack accompanies him to the airport to pick up Wang's Chinese fiancée Miao Yin, where a Chinese-American street gang, the Lords of Death, tries to kidnap another Chinese girl. She is being met by her friend Gracie Law. After Jack intervenes, they take Miao Yin instead. Jack and Wang track the Lords of Death to
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austr ...
, where they find a funeral procession that erupts into a battle between the Chang Sing and Wing Kong, two ancient Chinese warrior societies. When "The Three Storms" – Thunder, Rain, and Lightning, warriors with weather-themed powers – appear, slaughtering the Chang Sing, Jack attempts to gun his big-rig through the crowd, but runs over David Lo Pan, a man directing the Three Storms. Horrified, Jack exits his truck, but finds Lo Pan unhurt and glowing with magic. Wang hurriedly guides Jack through the alleys; the two escape, but Jack's truck is stolen. Wang takes Jack to his restaurant, where they meet with Gracie, her journalist friend Margo, Wang's friend Eddie Lee, and magician Egg Shen, a local authority on mysticism and Lo Pan. They explain to Jack (who only wants his truck back) the ancient knowledge and sorcery the Chinese brought with them to America. The group devises a plan to infiltrate a brothel, where they believe Miao Yin is held. They break in, but are interrupted by the Storms who kidnap Miao Yin, and take her to Lo Pan. Jack and Wang track down the front business used by Lo Pan and impersonate telephone repairmen to gain access, but are quickly subdued by Rain. After being tied up and beaten by Thunder, the two meet Lo Pan – however, he now appears as a crippled old man. Wang tells Jack that Lo Pan needs a green-eyed girl to break an ancient curse, and he intends to sacrifice Miao Yin. Centuries ago, Lo Pan was defeated in battle by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He cursed Lo Pan with
incorporeality Incorporeality is "the state or quality of being incorporeal or bodiless; immateriality; incorporealism." Incorporeal (Greek: ἀσώματος) means "Not composed of matter; having no material existence." Incorporeality is a quality of souls, ...
; although Lo Pan can be temporarily granted a decrepit body by supplication to the gods, he can permanently break the curse by marrying a woman with green eyes and sacrificing her. Jack and Wang's friends attempt to save them, and are also captured. After getting the drop on Thunder, Jack, Wang, and Eddie escape and free women kept in cells. An
orangutan Orangutans are Hominidae, great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in ...
-like Wild-Man recaptures Gracie before she escapes. Lo Pan notes that Gracie has green eyes, too, and decides to sacrifice her while making Miao Yin his wife. Wang and Jack regroup with the Chang Sing and Egg Shen, and enter a cavern to return to Lo Pan's headquarters. Egg pours the group a potent potion. They interrupt the wedding, and start a battle. Wang kills Rain in a sword duel, while Jack and Gracie chase Lo Pan, who has regained his corporeal form by consuming a few drops of Miao Yin's blood. Wang joins them; Lo Pan attempts to kill Jack with a throwing knife, but Jack catches it and kills him with a throw to his head. Thunder – who had been distracted with Wang – reappears, and, enraged at finding Lo Pan dead, swells up and explodes. Jack, Wang, Gracie, and Miao Yin are cornered by Lightning in a corridor, who triggers a collapse. Egg rescues them with a rope and kills Lightning by dropping a
Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...
on him when he tries to follow. After finding Jack's truck and dealing with the remaining Wing Kong guards, the group escapes back to Wang's restaurant. The group celebrates in the restaurant; Wang and Miao Yin prepare to marry, while Eddie pairs with Margo. Egg sets off to China. Gracie offers to join Jack but he leaves alone. Unbeknownst to him, the Wild-Man survived the battle and has stowed away on his truck.


Cast

* Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a cocky, wise-cracking truck driver who gets involved in an ancient battle between Good and Evil when he makes a delivery to
Chinatown, San Francisco The Chinatown centered on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, () is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. It is also the oldest and largest of the four notable C ...
. * Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law, a lawyer who is Jack's love interest. *
Dennis Dun Dennis Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American actor. Early life and education Dun is from Stockton, California. He is of Chinese descent. Film and TV Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), ''B ...
as Wang Chi, Jack's best friend and restaurant owner whose fiancée is kidnapped by Lo Pan. * James Hong as David Lo Pan, an ancient Chinese sorcerer who was cursed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. * Victor Wong as Egg Shen, a sorcerer and old enemy of Lo Pan who also drives a tour bus. * Kate Burton as Margo Litzenberger, a reporter who briefly helps the team find Miao Yin. *
Donald Li Donald Li (born 1961) is a Chinese actor. He is best known for ''Big Trouble in Little China'' and '' The Avengers''. He played multiple parts in Alan Cook's stage adaptation of John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 ...
as Eddie Lee, a successful businessman and Wang's friend who helps them rescue Gracie. *
Carter Wong Carter Wong (born Wong Chia-ta on March 22, 1947) is a Chinese actor and martial artist, who is mainly known for roles in Kung Fu action movies. The biggest movies he was featured in are ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (1986), and ''Yong zheng ...
as Thunder, an elemental master who can expand his body * Peter Kwong as Rain, an elemental master and expert martial artist with a sword *
James Pax James Pax (Born December 21, 1961) is an American actor who has acted in films produced in Hollywood, Hong Kong, and Japan. He is born to an English father and a Chinese mother. Career Once Pax turned his attention to acting, he took on role ...
as Lightning, an elemental master who can shoot out bolts of lightning *
Suzee Pai Suzee Pai (born 8 August 1962) is an American former actress and model who was the ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Month in January 1981. Career Modeling Born in Toledo, Ohio, Pai was a Penthouse Pet of the Month in 1981 and also appeared in a follow-u ...
as Miao Yin, Wang's fiancee, who was kidnapped by Lo Pan when she arrives in America. *
Chao-Li Chi Chao-Li Chi (; April 5, 1927 – October 16, 2010) was a Chinese-born American actor and dancer who worked extensively in American television, including his best known role as Chao-Li, the faithful majordomo and chauffeur of Jane Wyman's charac ...
as Uncle Chu, Wang's uncle. *
Jeff Imada Jeff Imada (born June 17, 1955) is an American martial artist, stuntman, and actor. He has performed stunts in over 100 films and television programs and authored one of the first books published in the US about the balisong. Jeff Imada is traine ...
as Needles, a member of a street gang called The Lords of Death. Al Leong,
Gerald Okamura Gerald Okamura (born 1940) is an American martial artist and stuntman. Career Okamura began his martial arts with judo in 1953. He has practiced kendo, aikido, taekwondo, and he is currently a 5th degree black belt in Kung Fu San Soo (his se ...
and Nathan Jung appear as Wing Kong hatchet men. Lia Chang and
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Japanese: 田川 洋行, ''Tagawa Hiroyuki''; born September 27, 1950) is a Japanese-born American actor, film producer, and martial artist. Often cast as villains, he is known for his film roles in ''The Last Emperor'' (1 ...
have minor roles as Wing Kong members. Frank Ho and
James Lew James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. He has made 80 on-screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He has done choreography for movies like ''Get Smart ...
(the film's martial arts choreographer) appear as Chang Sing warriors.
Noble Craig Noble Craig (died April 26, 2018) was an American actor who became known for his roles in horror films after having lost both of his legs and one of his arms in the Vietnam War. Military service Craig was drafted into the United States Army on ...
appears as "Sewer Monster".


Production


Screenplay

The first version of the screenplay was written by first-time screenwriters
Gary Goldman Gary Wayne Goldman (born November 17, 1944) is an American film producer, director, animator, writer and voice actor. He is known for working on films with Don Bluth such as '' All Dogs Go to Heaven'' for his directorial debut, ''Anastasia'', ' ...
and David Z. Weinstein. Goldman had been inspired by a new wave of martial arts films that had "all sorts of weird actions and special effects, shot against this background of Oriental mysticism and modern sensibilities". They had written a Western originally set in the 1880s with Jack Burton as a cowboy who rides into town. Goldman and Weinstein envisioned what amounts to a
Weird West Weird West (aka Weird Western) is a term used for the hybrid genres of fantasy Western, horror Western and science fiction Western. The term originated with DC's '' Weird Western Tales'' in 1972, but the idea is older as the genres have been ...
ern, in this case, combining Chinese fantasy elements within an Old West setting.Teitelbaum (July 1986), p. 5. They submitted the script to TAFT Entertainment Pictures executive producers
Paul Monash Paul Monash (June 14, 1917 – January 14, 2003) was an American television and film producer and screenwriter. Life and career Paul Monash was born in Harlem, New York, in 1917, and grew up in The Bronx. His mother, Rhoda Melrose, acted in si ...
and Keith Barish during the summer of 1982. Monash bought their script and had them do at least one rewrite but still did not like the results. He remembers, "The problems came largely from the fact it was set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, which affected everything—style, dialogue, action". Goldman rejected a request by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
for a rewrite that asked for major alterations. He was angered when the studio wanted to update it to a contemporary setting. The studio then removed the writers from the project. However, they still wanted credit for their contributions.Teitelbaum July 1986, p. 4. The studio brought in screenwriter
W. D. Richter Walter Duch Richter (born December 7, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He is best known for adapting ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'', directing ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'' ...
, a veteran script doctor (and director of '' The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai'') to extensively rewrite the script, as he felt that the Wild West and fantasy elements did not work together. The screenwriter modernized everything. Almost everything in the original script was discarded except for Lo Pan's story. Richter realized that "what it needed wasn't a rewrite but a complete overhaul. It was a dreadful screenplay. This happens often when scripts are bought and there's no intention that the original writers will stay on". Richter used '' Rosemary's Baby'' as his template, presenting "the foreground story in a familiar context – rather than San Francisco at the turn-of-the-century, which distances the audience immediately – and just have one simple remove, the world underground, you have a much better chance of making direct contact with the audience". He wrote his own draft in 10 weeks. Goldman contacted Richter and suggested that he should not work on the project. Richter told him, "I'm sorry the studio doesn't want to go forward with you guys, but my turning it down is not going to get you the job. They'll just hire someone else". Fox wanted to deny Goldman and Weinstein writing credit, and eliminated their names from press releases. They wanted only Richter to have credit.Teitelbaum (July 1986), p. 58. In March 1986, the
Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 me ...
determined that "written by" credit would go to Goldman and Weinstein, based on the WGA screenwriting credit system which protects original writers. However, Richter did get an "adaptation by" credit for his work on the script. Director John Carpenter was disappointed that Richter did not get a proper screenwriting credit because of the ruling. Carpenter made his own additions to Richter's rewrites, which included strengthening the Gracie Law role and linking her to Chinatown, removing a few action sequences due to budgetary restrictions and eliminating material deemed offensive to Chinese Americans. The characters in the film reminded Carpenter "of the characters in ''
Bringing Up Baby ''Bringing Up Baby'' is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film tells the story of a paleontologist in a number of predi ...
'' or '' His Girl Friday''. These are very 1930s, Howard Hawks people." The rapid-fire delivery of dialogue, especially between Jack Burton and Gracie Law, is an example of what the director is referring to. Hong Kong
wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted fo ...
films, particularly Tsui Hark's ''
Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' ( zh, t=新蜀山劍俠) is a 1983 Hong Kong supernatural ''wuxia'' fantasy film directed by Tsui Hark and based on the xianxia novel ''Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu'' by Huanzhulouzh ...
'' (1983), also served as an influence.


Casting

Barish and Monash first offered the project to Carpenter in July 1985. He had read the Goldman/Weinstein script and deemed it "outrageously unreadable though it had many interesting elements". To compete with rival production '' The Golden Child''’s casting of box office draw Eddie Murphy, Carpenter wanted a big star of his own and both
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Dolla ...
and
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...
were considered but were busy. The studio felt Kurt Russell was an up-and-coming star. Russell was initially not interested because he felt there were "a number of different ways to approach Jack, but I didn't know if there was a way that would be interesting enough for this movie". After talking to Carpenter and reading the script a few more times, he gained insight into the character and liked the notion of playing "a hero who has so many faults. Jack is and isn't the hero. He falls on his ass as much as he comes through. This guy is a real blowhard. He's a lot of hot air, very self-assured, a screw-up". Furthermore, the actor felt that "at heart he thinks he's Indiana Jones but the circumstances are always too much for him". Russell felt that the film would be a hard one to market. "This is a difficult picture to sell because it's hard to explain. It's a mixture of the real history of Chinatown in San Francisco blended with Chinese legend and lore. It's bizarre stuff. There are only a handful of non-Asian actors in the cast". John Carpenter had seen Dennis Dun in '' Year of the Dragon'' and liked his work in that film. He met the actor twice before casting him in the role of Wang Chi only a few days before principal photography. The martial arts sequences were not hard for Dun who had "dabbled" in training as a kid and done Chinese opera as an adult. He was drawn to the portrayal of Asian characters in the movie as he said, "I’m seeing Chinese actors getting to do stuff that American movies usually don’t let them do. I’ve never seen this type of role for an Asian in an American film". Jackie Chan was at one point considered for the role of Wang Chi but decided after the box office disasters of ''
The Big Brawl ''The Big Brawl'', () also known as ''Battle Creek Brawl'', is a 1980 martial arts action comedy film, which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie Hollywood market. A joint American and Hong Kong action film produc ...
'' and '' The Protector'' he should put more time and effort into his career in Hong Kong's film industry with '' Police Story'' instead. The studio pressured Carpenter to cast a rock star in the role of Gracie Law, Jack Burton's love interest, but Carpenter wanted Kim Cattrall. The studio was not keen on the idea because at the time Cattrall was primarily known for raunchy comedies like '' Porky's'' and '' Police Academy''. She was drawn to the film because of the way her character was portrayed. "I'm not screaming for help the whole time. I think the humor comes out of the situations and my relationship with Jack Burton. I’m the brains and he's the brawn".


Principal photography

Kurt Russell lifted weights and began running two months before production began to prepare for the physical demands of principal photography. In addition, Carpenter and his cast and crew did a week's rehearsals that mainly involved choreographing the martial arts scenes. 20th Century Fox was afraid that the production would create major overruns and hired Carpenter to direct because he could work fast. He was given only 10 weeks of pre-production. Problems began to arise when Carpenter learned that the next Eddie Murphy vehicle, ''The Golden Child'', featured a similar theme and was going to be released around the same time as ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (As it happened, Carpenter was asked by Paramount Pictures to direct ''The Golden Child''). He remarked in an interview, "How many adventure pictures dealing with Chinese mysticism have been released by the major studios in the past 20 years? For two of them to come along at the exact same time is more than mere coincidence," To beat the rival production at being released in theaters, ''Big Trouble'' went into production in October 1985 so it could open in July 1986, five months before ''The Golden Child''s Christmas release. Although the early exterior establishing scenes were filmed on location in Chinatown, most of the film was shot on sets built in the Fox lot in Los Angeles. Production designer John Lloyd designed the elaborate underground sets and recreated Chinatown with three-story buildings, roads, streetlights, sewers and so on. This was necessary for the staging of complicated special effects and kung fu fight sequences that would have been very hard to do on location. This forced the filmmaker to shoot the film in 15 weeks with a $25 million budget. For the film's many fight scenes Carpenter worked with martial arts choreographer
James Lew James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. He has made 80 on-screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He has done choreography for movies like ''Get Smart ...
, who planned out every move in advance. Says Carpenter, "I used every cheap gag – trampolines, wires, reverse movements and upside down sets. It was much like photographing a dance." Carpenter envisioned the film as an inverse of traditional scenarios in action films with a Caucasian protagonist helped by a minority sidekick. In ''Big Trouble in Little China'', Jack Burton, despite his bravado, is constantly portrayed as rather bumbling; in one fight sequence, he knocks himself unconscious before the fight begins. Wang Chi, on the other hand, is constantly portrayed as highly skilled and competent. On a
commentary track An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
for the DVD release, Carpenter said the film is really about a sidekick (Burton) who thinks he is a leading man. According to Carpenter, the studio "didn't get it" and made him write something that would explain the character of Jack Burton. Carpenter came up with the prologue scene between Egg Shen and the lawyer.


Visual effects

Carpenter was not entirely satisfied with
Boss Film Studios Boss Film Studios was a prominent American visual effects company, founded by visual effects veteran Richard Edlund after his departure from Industrial Light and Magic, producing visual effects for over thirty films from 1983 to 1997. Before that ...
, the company in charge of the film's visual effects. According to the director, they took on more projects than they could handle and some effects for the film had to be cut down.
Richard Edlund Richard Edlund, (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. ...
, head of Boss Film Studios, said that there were no difficulties with the company's workload and that ''Big Trouble'' was probably its favorite film at the time, with the exception of '' Ghostbusters''. The effects budget for the film was just under $2 million, which Edlund said was barely adequate. One of the more difficult effects was the floating eyeball, a spy for Lo-Pan. It was powered by several puppeteers and dozens of cables to control its facial expressions. It was shot with a special matting system specially designed for it.


Music

John Carpenter was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Music for this film. With the soundtrack, Carpenter wanted to avoid the usual clichés, as he found that "other scores for American movies about Chinese characters are basically rinky tink, chop suey music. I didn’t want that for ''Big Trouble''". Carpenter instead opted for his trademark synthesizer score mixed with rock 'n' roll music.


Reception


Box office

Opening in 1,053 theaters on July 2, 1986, ''Big Trouble in Little China'' grossed $2.7 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross $11.1 million in North America, well below its estimated budget of $19–25 million. The film was released in the midst of the hype for
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
's blockbuster ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'', which was released 16 days after. On the DVD commentary for ''Big Trouble in Little China'', Carpenter and Russell discuss this among possible reasons for the film's disappointing box office gross.


Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Brimming with energy and packed with humor, ''Big Trouble in Little China'' distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them." On Metacritic it has a score of 53% based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F. Ron Base, in his review for the '' Toronto Star'', praised Russell's performance. "He does a great John Wayne imitation. But he's not just mimicking these heroes, he is using them to give his own character a broad, satiric edge." Walter Goodman in '' The New York Times'' wrote, "In kidding the flavorsome proceedings even as he gets the juice out of them, the director, John Carpenter, is conspicuously with it." Writer
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'', ...
, widely known in Hollywood for his brutally honest critiques, praised the film, writing that it had "some of the funniest lines spoken by any actor this year to produce a cheerfully blathering live-action cartoon that will give you release from the real pressures of your basically dreary lives." In his review for '' Time'', Richard Corliss wrote, "''Little China'' offers dollops of entertainment, but it is so stocked with canny references to other pictures that it suggests a master's thesis that moves." However, in his review for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...
'',
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
wrote, "special effects don't mean much unless we care about the characters who are surrounded by them, and in this movie the characters often seem to exist only to fill up the foregrounds," and felt that it was "straight out of the era of
Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Cha ...
and
Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, co ...
, with no apologies and all of the usual stereotypes."
Paul Attanasio Paul Albert Attanasio (born November 14, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film and television producer. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, for ''Quiz Show'' (1994) and '' Donnie Brasco'' (1997). ...
, in '' The Washington Post'', criticized the screenwriters for being "much better at introducing a character than they are at developing one". David Ansen wrote, in his review for '' Newsweek'', "though it is action packed, spectacularly edited and often quite funny, one can't help feeling that Carpenter is squeezing the last drops out of a fatigued genre." In his review for '' The Times'', David Robinson felt that Carpenter was "overwhelmed by his own special effects, without a strong enough script to guide him." Alex Stewart reviewed ''Big Trouble in Little China'' for ''
White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes f ...
'' No. 83, and stated that the film was "Amiable nonsense, delivered with panache by fearsome demons and flying swordsmen; and the jokes work. Wayne Crawford should take notes." After the commercial and critical failure of the film, Carpenter became very disillusioned with Hollywood and became an independent filmmaker. He said in an interview, "The experience f ''Big Trouble''was the reason I stopped making movies for the Hollywood studios. I won't work for them again. I think ''Big Trouble'' is a wonderful film, and I'm very proud of it. But the reception it received, and the reasons for that reception, were too much for me to deal with. I'm too old for that sort of bullshit." It has since enjoyed a resurgence on television and home video, and has received a good deal of retroactive positive press. Some critics and fans considered it one of Carpenter’s best movies. ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine voted ''Big Trouble in Little China'' the 430th greatest film in their "500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list.


Home media

''Big Trouble in Little China'' was released on a two-disc special edition DVD set on May 22, 2001. '' Entertainment Weekly'' gave the DVD a "B+" rating and wrote, "The highlight of this two disc set – which also features deleted scenes, an extended ending, trailers, and a 1986 featurette – is the pitch perfect Russell and Carpenter commentary, which delves into Fox's marketing mishaps, Chinese history, and how Russell's son did in his hockey game." In his review for the ''Onion A.V. Club'', Noel Murray wrote, "If nothing else, this is a DVD designed for ''Big Trouble'' cultists; it's packed with articles from ''Cinefex'' and ''American Cinematographer'' that only a genre geek would appreciate." A single-disc movie-only DVD version was later released, with the only special features being the Carpenter/Russell commentary and the theatrical trailer. A
Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of stori ...
edition of the film was released on August 4, 2009. It contains the same content as the double-disc DVD release. In 2013, the film was released on Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom by
Arrow Films Arrow Films is a British independent film distributor and restorer specialising in world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films. It sells Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and DVDs online, and also operates its own subscription video on-dema ...
as a regular case and Steelbook. On December 3, 2019,
Scream Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released a two-disc "Collector's Edition" Blu-ray of the film in the U.S., which included a bevy of new bonus features.


Other media


Sequel

In June 2015, ''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009. Awards ''TheWrap'' has won awards for its journalism, incl ...
'' reported that Dwayne Johnson was developing a remake to star as Jack Burton and produce with his Seven Bucks Productions film studio. Ashley Miller and
Zack Stentz Zackary Lowell Stentz is an American writer and producer of film and television, journalist, novelist, and teacher, best known for his work on Marvel properties with former writing partner Ashley Edward Miller. Career Stentz graduated from ...
were hired screenwriters. In an interview with '' Entertainment Weekly'', Johnson expressed interest in having Carpenter involved in the film. Carpenter responded stating, "It's very early in the process. I haven't spoken to Dwayne Johnson about any of this... I'm ambivalent about a remake." By August 27, 2018, Seven Bucks Productions' President Hiram Garcia clarified that the film will be a sequel and a continuation of the previous film. The creative minds behind the new film acknowledged that they have no intention of replacing Kurt Russell by re-casting Johnson as Jack Burton, but will make a follow-up movie to the original.


Video game

A tie-in video game of the same name was published in 1986 by
Electric Dreams Software Electric Dreams Software was a UK-based video game publisher established in 1985 by Activision and run by Rod Cousens and Paul Cooper formerly of Quicksilva . The company published video games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and th ...
for the ZX Spectrum,
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
and
Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...
. Critical reception was mixed.


Comic book series

On February 27, 2014,
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Holly ...
announced they were working on a comic book series. The comic book is written by Eric Powell and John Carpenter with artwork by Brian Churilla. The series began in June 2014. Boom! released a crossover limited series between Jack Burton and
Snake Plissken S.D. "Snake" Plissken (given as S.D. "Bob" Plissken, in the opening of ''Escape from L.A.'') is the protagonist of the films ''Escape from New York'' and ''Escape from L.A.'' He is portrayed by Kurt Russell, and created by director John Carpente ...
titled ''Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York'' in October 2016. A previously projected comic book series previewed by Top Cow Productions at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con failed to appear. On June 14, 2017, Boom! announced a new four-issue limited series, to be published in September 2017, called ''Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack'', written by Carpenter and Anthony Burch, with art by Jorge Corona. Taking place in 2020, Jack Burton comes out of retirement to battle Ching Dai and save the world.


Vinyl figures

In February 2015, Funko released a line of ReAction and Pop! vinyl figures based on ''Big Trouble in Little China''.


Board game

On July 15, 2016,
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Holly ...
announced a partnership with Everything Epic and Flipside to create a board game based on the film. It was released in 2018, and is a highly thematic cooperative miniatures board game for 1–4 players.


Card game

In August 2016,
Upper Deck The Upper Deck Company, LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated, Ltd. in the UK), founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards. Its headquarters are in Carlsbad, California, United State ...
released the ''Legendary: Big Trouble in Little China'' deck-building card game. It is a semi-cooperative game for 2–5 players using the deck-building mechanic in which players purchase cards from a central pool to work together against the "villain" deck. The cards feature original artwork based on characters from the movie. It comes with 400 cards and a special playmat, and retails for around $40.


Influence

Marvel supervillain The Mandarin in the 1990s Iron Man comic run by John Byrne and John Romita Jr. was modeled in appearance after Lo Pan. The film's portrayal of the lightning sorcerer/demigod character has been occasionally described as an inspiration for the character of Raiden from '' Mortal Kombat'', introducing the archetype of a straw hat–wearing monk able to control lightning with his hands to Western audiences. (In traditional Chinese and Japanese culture, the lightning god is represented more akin to a traditional Asian creature.) Additionally, the character David Lo Pan has been credited as the original inspiration for the soul-stealing Mortal Kombat villain
Shang Tsung The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...
. The twenty-third episode of the second season of the 2012 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' TV series, called "A Chinatown Ghost Story", uses concepts from the film, but renames the antagonist Lo Pan to Ho Chan, and the Storm figure Rain is replaced by Wind. In addition, James Hong (Lo Pan) reprises his ''Little China'' performance as the principal villain character. The song "We Have Candy" by the South African rap-rave group Die Antwoord features lead singer Ninja reciting some of Jack Burton's dialogue from the film. In 2006, American experimental rock band
Man Man Man Man is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Their multi-instrumental style is centered on the piano playing of lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus (Ryan Kattner). Honus is accompani ...
released an album with the title '' Six Demon Bag'', which is a reference to a line in the film. A 2012 parody music video of the song " Gangnam Style" was entitled ''Lo Pan Style'' and featured the storyline and characters from the movie, including a cameo by James Hong. New Zealand director Taika Waititi cited the film as an influence on '' Thor: Ragnarok'' (2017). The '' Regular Show'' Season 3 episode "Fortune Cookie" The villain is The Warlock who has a Resemblance to Lo Pan. In fact the character was played by James Hong who played the same character. The season 2 episode of ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' Titled "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" is a reference title of the movie. The Ninety-seven episode of '' Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja'' episode Titled "Big Trouble in Little Norrisville" The episode has a place name Little Norrisville and the Shopkeeper also played by James Hong who played Lo Pan. The American hard rock band Lo-Pan is named after Hong's character in the movie.


See also

*
List of cult films A ''cult film'', also commonly referred to as a ''cult classic'', is a film with a cult following, obscure or unpopular with mainstream audiences, and often revolutionary or ironically enjoyed. Sometimes, the definition is expanded to exclude fil ...
*
List of martial arts films Following is an incomplete list of films, ordered by year of release, featuring depictions of martial arts. See also *Combat in film * List of mixed martial arts films * List of Kalarippayattu films *List of ninja films *Martial arts film * L ...


References


External links

* * *
''Big Trouble in Little China''
at John Carpenter's official website

discussion of film influence.

{{John Carpenter 1986 films 1980s action comedy films 1980s fantasy comedy films 1986 martial arts films American action comedy films Asian-American action films 1986 fantasy films Chinese-American films American fantasy comedy films American martial arts films 1980s English-language films Kung fu films Chinatown, San Francisco in fiction Films set in Los Angeles Films set in San Francisco Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in San Francisco Martial arts fantasy films Trucker films 20th Century Fox films Puppet films Films directed by John Carpenter Films scored by John Carpenter Films scored by Alan Howarth (composer) Films with screenplays by W. D. Richter Films about curses Films about wizards Films adapted into comics 1986 comedy films Films with screenplays by Gary Goldman (screenwriter) 1980s American films