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Movies / On DVD / The Golden Child
The Golden Child

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The Golden Child (1986)

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26 %
Tomatometer

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Reviews Counted: 19

Fresh: 5

Rotten:14

Average Rating: 3.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Eddie Murphy follows up his hot streak of BEVERLY HILLS COP and TRADING PLACES with this mystical action-comedy directed by Michael Ritchie. Murphy plays Chandler "Chan" Jarrell, a man who tracks... Eddie Murphy follows up his hot streak of BEVERLY HILLS COP and TRADING PLACES with this mystical action-comedy directed by Michael Ritchie. Murphy plays Chandler "Chan" Jarrell, a man who tracks down lost children for a living. When the beautiful Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis), a Tibetan priestess, approaches him with the flattering yet disarming declaration that he is "the chosen one," his quest for the illustrious golden child (J. L. Reate) begins. Along the way, Chan uncovers secrets within Chinatown's underbelly and encounters a seemingly endless parade of bizarre and dangerous situations, most often spearheaded by Sardo Numpsa (Charles Dance), the devil's main henchman. It's up to Chan to locate the golden child, then protect him from the evil Sardo, who won't rest until he sees to it that the boy is in his clutches. Not surprisingly, THE GOLDEN CHILD is a comedian's showcase. As Murphy ad-libs his way to the rescue, it appears that Ritchie allowed him the comfort of improvisation throughout the film's production, and that trust in his star pays off. The result is a laugh-out-loud crowd pleaser with a heavy dose of action that alludes to the mystical Asian dramas of the past. [More]

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance, Randall "Tex" Cobb

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance, Randall "Tex" Cobb

Director: Michael Ritchie

Director: Michael Ritchie

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 3, 2009

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Golden Child

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mediocre Eddie Murphy comedy looks very dated now.

comment Comment
02/23/08
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
09/28/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/05/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Not even Eddie Murphy’s normal bag of tricks and tics can save this contrived and unconvincing film from self-destructing.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/25/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

His posse told him he was god-like.

comment Comment
02/13/04
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Indefensible rubbish with occasional flashes of invention and Victor Wong.

comment Comment
12/10/03
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Eddie Murphy begins to dabble in "kiddy-land."

comment Comment
05/30/03
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

An uneven and staid mystical bore that miscasts Murphy something fierce. There's nothing Golden about this neglected Child.

comment Comment
05/27/03
Frank Ochieng
Movie Eye
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An extremely amusing film from back when Murphy was still funny; it's been unfortunately mostly forgotten these days.

comment Comment
02/09/03
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

A mixed bag of occult mayhem that I remember liking as a kid.

comment Comment
01/29/03
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

No review available.

comment Comment
12/19/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
11/22/02
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Yet another in a long string of Murphy abominations.

comment Comment
10/11/02
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

Maybe being typecast as Axel Foley was a good idea

comment Comment
09/17/02
Clint Morris
Moviehole

No review available.

comment Comment
08/30/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

the beginning of the end for Murphy's career

comment Comment
07/29/02
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

When Eddie's onscreen, this confusing mess of an adventure flick actually works. But that darn PLOT keeps getting in the way.

comment Comment
07/25/02
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
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