IMDb > Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Big Trouble in Little China
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Big Trouble in Little China (1986) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 29 | slideshow) Videos (see all 13 NEW)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) -- An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) -- One of Lo Pan's men explodes after discovering that he's been killed.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   31,555 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Carpenter
Writers:
Gary Goldman (written by) &
David Z. Weinstein (written by) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Big Trouble in Little China on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1986 (USA) more
Tagline:
Adventure doesn't come any bigger! more
Plot:
An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
As Darkness Falls Premiering on Time Warner Cable
 (From Dread Central. 4 November 2009, 4:45 PM, PST)

retro trailer: ‘Big Trouble in Little China’
 (From FlickFilosopher. 11 October 2009, 9:19 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Tongue-In-Cheek '80s 'Classic' more (259 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Cantonese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to John Carpenter in the DVD Commentary, Carter Wong, who plays Thunder, actually worked as a martial arts instructor with the Hong Kong Police. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Jack and Wang Chi change places as they chase the punks at the airport parking lot. When we see them from the back Wang is on the right (close up on back of his jacket. Then we cut to a frontal view and he is still on the right of the screen, while he should be on the left. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Robot Chicken: Toy Meets Girl (#1.11)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Big Trouble in Little China more

FAQ

What happened to Jack Burton at the end of the movie?
Why Does Thunder Explode?
more
40 out of 43 people found the following comment useful.
A Tongue-In-Cheek '80s 'Classic', 22 June 2006
9/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This is one of the wildest stories ever: a cartoon come to life and a mixture of an old-time serial with modern special-effects with bold colors all the way through.

This movie is pure tongue-in-cheek. One just has to take nothing seriously in here and just go along on the wild ride. From the nonsense mystical Chinese sorcery that is taken so reverently, to the American hero "Jack Burton" (Kurt Russell) who displays the fearless macho man, to combatants flying through the air (this was 15 years before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed), to one exotic character and situation after another - it's all absurd fun.

Russell plays his role to the hilt, playing his favorite kind of role when he was younger: brash, bold and an ignoramus who fears absolutely nothing. His lines are deliberately corny and one can bet he had a lot of fun making this movie. He even gets in a few good comedic lines. His partner, Dennis Dunn, is a likable guy with a devilish grin on his face and Kim Cattrell plays the more modern damsel-in-distress role to the hilt, too.

They could have lightened this up a bit on the action - it gets to be too much at times - but the movie is just slightly over an hour-and-half. It still wore me out the first few times I saw it.

All in all: ludicrous fun, a kind of Indiana Jones in Chinatown adventure flick.

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