Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 4)

Laughing Dragon

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Big Trouble in Little China on DVD.

20th Century Fox recently dusted off some of the action titles in its vaults and sent them off for a second life on DVD. And what do you know? They turned up a couple of underrated gems, truly deserving of a second look.

The big event, and by far the most exciting title in this package, is John Carpenter's underappreciated 2-disc Big Trouble in Little China. It's a goofy mix of comic books, kung-fu, and Indiana Jones in a movie that left most people scratching their heads. Kurt Russell plays a fearless parody of an action hero, a truck driver talking in a John Wayne voice and swaggering along, completely useless. During a stopover in San Francisco's Chinatown, he gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme involving an ancient underworld Chinese warlord who, in order to become human again, attempts to perform a ceremony sacrificing a girl with green eyes. Actually, the plot takes a back seat to the silly dialogue, the goofy monsters, the wild kung-fu (not as polished as the classic Peking Opera Blues, released the same year), and the unsullied, eye-opening adventure. As usual, Carpenter uses his widescreen frame to maximum effect -- either for suspense, dazzling homemade special effects, or just for fun.

This double-disc set packs a treasure trove of goodies, one of the best packages I've ever seen. It contains outtakes from the film, several trailers, magazine articles, an interview with effects guru Robert Edlund, a still gallery, a music video, and more. Best of all is an outstanding commentary track by Russell and Carpenter, who have made five films together. They have such a great time laughing and talking that they even go off on tangents, talking about their kids and the latest happenings in their lives. Big Trouble in Little China is a bargain at twice the price.

Note: The Special Edition has reportedly gone out of print, but there's still a single disc edition for sale, which is better than nothing.

Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Suzee Pai, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton
Written by: W.D. Richter, Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein
Directed by: John Carpenter
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 99 minutes
Date: May 31, 2001