Review – Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

I hardly know where to start with this amazing movie. It’s another 80s classic that somehow slipped under my radar, which i’m only now seeing for the first time. First of all we have the perfect combination of Kurt Russell and John Carpenter. A dream team in anybody’s book. Both of these guys were at the top of their games in the 80s, and both made some indisputable classics. The Thing (1982) and Escape from New York (1981) spring to mind straight away.

This is definitely one of those “Switch off your brain and hit autopilot” kind of films. You can also imagine that the cast and crew had a real blast making this.

The story is as daft as anything I’ve ever seen. Loud mouthed truck driver Jack Burton arrives in San Francisco’s Chinatown where he agrees to help out his old mate Wang, by driving him to the airport to pick up his green eyed fiancé. Things quickly go pear shaped however when a band of street punks kidnap the girl and the dynamic duo set off in hot pursuit. The pair soon find themselves caught in the middle of a gang war that heads off in a very mystical and magical direction, the two are forced to flee while Jack’s truck is stolen. All this happens within the first fifteen to twenty minutes.

The whole movie powers along at breakneck speed, and plays like one of those adventure comics we read as a kid. It’s a little bit like a cartoon come to life. It’s also one of the weirdest, wildest adventure movies you are ever likely to see. It has everything from Chinese Black Magic, Thunder Gods, some awesome fight sequences and even a monster or two thrown in for good measure.

To sum up, grab some popcorn, suspend your disbelief then watch and enjoy…..