There's no such thing as a present-day John Wayne, but "Big Trouble in Little China", a mildly successful adventure comedy, provides good argument for why Kurt Russell could be considered a present-day John Wayne, if you imagine Russell in the 1980s and if the present day is, cough cough, 1986. He's got the look, the money, the power; his manner of speak, drawling, unwaveringly masculine, suggests more heroic brawn than quick-witted brains. But we like him anyway: he's an all-American hero who takes himself much too seriously. There probably isn't a better type of movie hero, unless we're talking about an unheard of one like Lisbeth Salander. Then we're talking.
For now, though, I'll settle (sporadically, that is) for the bonkers fun of "Big Trouble in Little China", which is partially a comedy, an action movie, a kung-fu flick, a distant cousin of "Indiana Jones", a labyrinthine fantasy. It's uneven to say the least (we can agree that the action is terrific, yes, but what about the film's all-too-obvious inability to develop its characters?), but there is plenty of enjoyment to be had, so long as you leave your logic and bitterness at the door and turn the word improbable into likely. Because "Big Trouble in Little China" is like "Danger: Diabolik" — you either figure it to be "Mystery Science Theater 3000" worthy or an irresistible exercise in pulp insanity. Personally, I'd go with the former.
Much of the ruckus in San Francisco's Chinatown has to do with Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), a quasi-macho truck driver who finds himself in a pit of trouble after his best friend's (Dennis Dun) green-eyed fiancée (Suzee Pai) is kidnapped by a Chinese gang. The gang, however, isn't your run-of-the-mill pack of bandits looking for trouble because it's fun — they, in actuality, are the henchman of Lo Pan (James Hong), an ancient sorcerer seeking marriage to a green-eyed Chinese girl in order to bring his aging body back to youthful flesh and blood.
Fortunately, the film doesn't sabotage itself with unneeded side plots or drivel pieces of dialogue needed to explain outrageous events. It's a chase movie with Hong Kong action movie instincts, going out to save a kidnapped girl and concluding by saving the said girl. The supernatural elements of "Big Trouble in Little China" are entertaining in a low-budget, 1940s B-movie kind of way, and the fight sequences are impressively choreographed. John Carpenter, having a ball, keeps things visually scrumptious, the tone matching in its manic gusto. Russell is perfect for this kind of material, charmingly bumbling, crafty when it comes to quick escapes and logistical battle tactics. Funny is the way Dennis Dunn's kung- fu master character is the real hero of the movie, though Russell, being 1986's present-day John Wayne, is too big-headed to notice. Kim Cattrall makes for a spunky love interest.
But I suppose "Big Trouble in Little China"'s biggest problem is how weightless it is, how nothing feels as though things are really at stake. Because the screenplay develops its characters by introducing them and not much else, we hardly get to know them, deciding who we like simply based on the power of their one-liners. The plot is rather been-there- done-that, despite the masterful telling of it all, and the supporting performances from Lo Pan and company are never quite campy enough to shape them into the Bond-esque villains they set out to be. But no matter. "Big Trouble in Little China" is meant to be lightweight action fantasy, and, for the most part, it succeeds. Just don't expect anything other than Russell's classic heroism to stick around in your head.
For now, though, I'll settle (sporadically, that is) for the bonkers fun of "Big Trouble in Little China", which is partially a comedy, an action movie, a kung-fu flick, a distant cousin of "Indiana Jones", a labyrinthine fantasy. It's uneven to say the least (we can agree that the action is terrific, yes, but what about the film's all-too-obvious inability to develop its characters?), but there is plenty of enjoyment to be had, so long as you leave your logic and bitterness at the door and turn the word improbable into likely. Because "Big Trouble in Little China" is like "Danger: Diabolik" — you either figure it to be "Mystery Science Theater 3000" worthy or an irresistible exercise in pulp insanity. Personally, I'd go with the former.
Much of the ruckus in San Francisco's Chinatown has to do with Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), a quasi-macho truck driver who finds himself in a pit of trouble after his best friend's (Dennis Dun) green-eyed fiancée (Suzee Pai) is kidnapped by a Chinese gang. The gang, however, isn't your run-of-the-mill pack of bandits looking for trouble because it's fun — they, in actuality, are the henchman of Lo Pan (James Hong), an ancient sorcerer seeking marriage to a green-eyed Chinese girl in order to bring his aging body back to youthful flesh and blood.
Fortunately, the film doesn't sabotage itself with unneeded side plots or drivel pieces of dialogue needed to explain outrageous events. It's a chase movie with Hong Kong action movie instincts, going out to save a kidnapped girl and concluding by saving the said girl. The supernatural elements of "Big Trouble in Little China" are entertaining in a low-budget, 1940s B-movie kind of way, and the fight sequences are impressively choreographed. John Carpenter, having a ball, keeps things visually scrumptious, the tone matching in its manic gusto. Russell is perfect for this kind of material, charmingly bumbling, crafty when it comes to quick escapes and logistical battle tactics. Funny is the way Dennis Dunn's kung- fu master character is the real hero of the movie, though Russell, being 1986's present-day John Wayne, is too big-headed to notice. Kim Cattrall makes for a spunky love interest.
But I suppose "Big Trouble in Little China"'s biggest problem is how weightless it is, how nothing feels as though things are really at stake. Because the screenplay develops its characters by introducing them and not much else, we hardly get to know them, deciding who we like simply based on the power of their one-liners. The plot is rather been-there- done-that, despite the masterful telling of it all, and the supporting performances from Lo Pan and company are never quite campy enough to shape them into the Bond-esque villains they set out to be. But no matter. "Big Trouble in Little China" is meant to be lightweight action fantasy, and, for the most part, it succeeds. Just don't expect anything other than Russell's classic heroism to stick around in your head.
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