John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China is probably his most unusual film. And on this day (2 July) in 1986, it was released throughout the United States.
More than any other Carpenter film, Big Trouble in Little China is a romp. It has quirky special effects, a fast-paced and clever script, and joyously vigorous acting. Just the same, I’ve seen it a handful of times and I can’t really tell you what the plot is. A young woman is kidnapped and the good guys must rescue her in a world full of magic?
The film is fairly typical of Carpenter films in that it wasn’t much liked when it came out and was only appreciated later. A lot of the early reviews complained about — Wait for it! — character development! It’s a standard complaint. A film “critic” doesn’t like a film but also he has no clear reason for not liking it. And… “This cartoon-style film lacks character depth!” I previously wrote, “[T]he biggest problem with film critics is that they just don’t like fun. What’s not to like here?!”
I’m not much of a fan of Kurt Russell but he works well with this role. It’s a modern version of Tony Curtis (another actor I’m pretty meh about) in The Great Race. Kim Cattrall plays a fairly typical role for her — at least before she became Samantha.
But it is the Chinese cast that makes the film work. James Hong (One Spy Too Many) is, as always, great. And it’s just so nice to see Victor Wong (Tremors), who didn’t work enough for my tastes.
Big Trouble in Little China is rated PG-13. But it is a great film to share with kids. Just make sure they are your children. Kidnapping is wrong even for the purpose of showing a great film they will love. Or you could just watch it alone. And for free with this great print on Archive!
Image taken from Wikipedia under Fair Use.
