Post subject: Movie of the Week #18: Big Trouble In Little China
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:07 pm
Unthought Known
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:51 pm Posts: 9961 Location: Sailing For Singapore
Movie of the Week #18
Big Trouble In Little China 1986, Directed by John Carpenter
Big Trouble In Little China belongs to a select niche of films that one has to go in with a certain mindset. It is a film that does not have one element that should be taken remotely seriously, and it realizes this. Thus, it does not take itself seriously either.
The story concerns Jack Burton, a macho, all-American semi-truck driver who stumbles into a kidnapping plot involving sorcery and monsters in Chinatown.
Yes, sorcery and monsters in Chinatown. One should know what one’s getting into just by hearing that alone. But it’s impossible to realize just how far over the top Big Trouble goes until you see it for yourself. Not only does it contain (and constantly flaunt) those elements, but it is also full of superhuman kung-fu action (purposely choreographed at a C-grade level), bullets galore, one-liners, intentionally cheesy acting, and moments of stereotypical hero-and-damsel romance. Hell, there’s even a random scene (one of the most memorable in the film) of a man becoming so angry that he literally explodes. How can you beat that?
And John Carpenter pulls it all together perfectly. It’s amazing that the same man who can make a film like The Thing so tense and wrought with paranoia can also craft such a hilariously light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek action fantasy. Big Trouble is pure, non-stop fun.
And who could forget Kurt Russell’s performance as Jack Burton? He’s the classic anti-hero defined. Seemingly high on testosterone, yet actually rather goofy and incompetent at everything he does. He essentially gets everything done on accident. It’s a classic comedic role – I don’t know how anyone could hear one of his many “What duh hellll?â€s and not laugh.
Big Trouble In Little China is the perfect movie to watch if you want to simply forget your troubles, turn off your brain, and have some fun. Not only is it one of the best action/adventure films of the 1980s, but one of the greatest B-movies of all time.
i cant even put into words how much i love this movie. lo-pan was fucking awesome in the movie. i really wish they would have made the sequel to this instead of escape from new york, way more potential
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
I haven't seen this in years, probably because my brother and I watched it over and over and over when we were kids. Even my dad loved it -- he's a huge John Wayne fan, and used to say how Russell was doing a cheesy yet hilarious imitation of how JW talked.
This really is the ultimate b-movie: funny dialogue and great fight sequences wrapped around a ridiculous plot that you can't help but get sucked in by.
And who can forget that extremely stupid title song that plays over the closing credits?
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Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #18: Big Trouble In Little China
Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 2:34 am
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 5:02 am Posts: 3279 Location: Department K, North of 60
LoathedVermin72 wrote:
Hell, there’s even a random scene (one of the most memorable in the film) of a man becoming so angry that he literally explodes. How can you beat that?
I don't know how "random" the scene is: the character in question sees the dead body of his master and then becomes so upset, he explodes.
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Post subject: Re: Movie of the Week #18: Big Trouble In Little China
Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 3:09 am
Unthought Known
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:51 pm Posts: 9961 Location: Sailing For Singapore
Iago wrote:
LoathedVermin72 wrote:
Hell, there’s even a random scene (one of the most memorable in the film) of a man becoming so angry that he literally explodes. How can you beat that?
I don't know how "random" the scene is: the character in question sees the dead body of his master and then becomes so upset, he explodes.
I'm aware. But even for a movie as off-the-wall as this, that caught me off guard. It was so completely ridiculous, unexpected, and out-of-nowhere that "random" just seemed appropriate.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:09 am Posts: 2482 Location: Averill Park, NY
It's funny that I looked at the movie of the week today, because I just rented this for the first time from Blockbuster this week (I rated it a 3). I'm a big fan of the team of Russell and Carpenter and although Jack Burton is a great character I don't think the movie as a whole is as good as The Thing or Escape From New York, but it was a fun ride.
Some of the stuff that Jack Burton says on the CB radio in his truck is great and him getting hit with the bricks he just shot in the air above him knocking himself out is very funny.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:02 pm Posts: 10690 Location: Lost in Twilight's Blue
I picked up the dvd while I was out last night thanks to this thread. I hadn't even though of this movie in many years. Fun times.
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