You know what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like this?

Big Trouble in Little China

(1986)

John Carpenter got a bit of flack for stereotyping, but I think his intentions were noble. Certainly, he was embracing a filmmaking nation he loved even if it came replete with various Fu Manchu connotations. As Carpenter points out during his enormously entertaining commentary track with Kurt Russell (not quite up there with The Thing, but not far off) this film attracted a huge cult following after the fact because it thumbed its nose at conventions.

In W D Richter's (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) script the sidekick (Dennis Dun) is the hero and the "lead" is a swaggering, moronic and inept John Wayne wannabe. It's pulling the rug from under an audience who think Russell will be an Indiana Jones clone. Kudos to Kurt for fully-embracing the opportunity to look a complete idiot (in the only scene where he actually does something skillful, his face has been smeared in lipstick for five minutes).

If Russell is peerless, it's a close run thing with James Hong's David Lo Pan. Hong - as Russell notes on the commentary - completely gets the tone of this the film, and makes Lo Pan by turns fearsome and a dirty old Albert Steptoe (depending on the incarnation he's in). Also present are the great Victor Wong as Egg Shen and Kim Cattrall in screwball comedy speedy dialogue mode as Gracie Law (I have to admit that while I've loved this film since it came out, it's only since it was released on DVD that I've appreciated Cattrall's performance).

Apparently the opening scene-setter was added at the behest of a studio trying to beef up Jack Burton's heroic qualities, which figures, as it's a very misleading introduction. This was the end of the road for Carpenter's semi-successful courtship with big studios. He went on to two hit cheapies (Prince of Darkness and They Live!) but would increasingly lose his mojo in the next decade (Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Village of the Damned). His style here is appropriately ramshackle and his synth score is on the indulgent side, but that's all part of the charm. Too many great scenes and lines to quote, but I'll offer this one, from the scene in the lift.

Jack Burton: Feel pretty good. I'm not, uh, I'm not scared at all. I just feel kind of... feel kind of invincible.

Wang Chi: Me, too. I got a very positive attitude about this.

Jack Burton: Good, me too.

Wang Chi: Yeah!

[pause]

Jack Burton: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

Credit where it's due, the trailer doesn't exactly play down Jack being an idiot:

Comments

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Now In Full Color, with a Happier Ending

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