Big Trouble in Little China

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Big Trouble in Little China

PG-13

1986

1h 39m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

71%

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69 Reviews

82%

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100,000+ Ratings

Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancée to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.

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Critics Consensus

Brimming with energy and packed with humor, Big Trouble in Little China distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

06/29/2021

2/4

A rollicking, colourful comic strip of a movie with bells on.

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

06/29/2021

Carpenter and his lively cast seem to be having such a good time that the easiest thing to do is relax and enjoy the ride. In a way, this is the movie "Escape from New York" was trying to be but never quite managed to pull off.

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Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

06/29/2021

2/4

Watching Kurt Russell display not only a set of bulging biceps, but also... easy-going self-confidence is admittedly fun at times, even if the movie is as impenetrable as chop suey.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

No real Chinatown was ever as dull as this fanciful one.

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David Elliott

Copley News Service

Dec 13

The movie is an assault and battery job, and exhausting to watch.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Dec 12

Directed by John Carpenter during one of the great filmmaking hot streaks of all time, Big Trouble is a rarely seen kind of action comedy—neither spoof nor satire and containing not a single moment of genuine sentiment.

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Ola G

@Ollie1972 4h

After two successful collaborations between Kurt Russel and John Carpenter, with "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" (Two of my favourite movies), I had high hopes back in 1986 with this film. I can't fully remember what I thought of it then, but I guess as a teen I was happy with whatever Carpenter put out. Re-seeing it today, makes me wish for a lot more. "Big Trouble in Little China" is a silly b-fantasy action-comedy with a sloppy Russel as a stupid and cocky truck driver that carries no likeable or cool characteristics in my book. The premise is silly, the action is truly silly with flying fights, the whole environment is low budget in a very obvious way and it's just too comic silly. My biggest treat was to see Kim Cattrall at her most drop dead gorgeous period in her career. And the great poster art by Drew Struzan (RIP). "Big Trouble in Little China" belongs to Carpenter´s less good movies if you ask me.

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Shawn R

@satiable 9h

This movie is so much fun! Could watch it over and over again

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Julian C

@juliancooper_12 4d

Funny, random, and weird, John Carpenter does a good job reviving kung fu cinema.

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Jean B

@RT99361883 Mar 31

Great movie. I've been a fan since the 1980s of this movie. Fun, action packed, just a feel good, fun time flick. These movie critics who review films are such a farce. They seem to think what constitutes a good movie yet seem to lack any clue as to what makes a good movie that audiences enjoy while they trash the film. The world is full of jokers.

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M V.

@wongkarwhy Mar 22

This film is awesome. One of the few times I got to see Asians on TV (and no I didn't grow up with cable). James Hong is such a great actor. Definitely recommend this to anyone that just wants to watch a fun 80s film.

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David D

@David2026 Mar 19

A big stupid romp. Fun. Hammy. More like watching the movie version of a late 1980's arcade game.

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Kurt Russell

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Synopsis

Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancée to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: Gary Goldman, David Weinstein, W.D. Richter
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: TAFT Entertainment, SLM Production Group, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.0M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Mono, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)