One of my all-time favorite adventure films from the 1980's is John (Halloween) Carpenter's deliriously wacky Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Starring Kurt Russell as a swaggering doofus hero named Jack Burton, and Kim Cattrall as his near-girlfriend, the story is a delightful mishmosh of kung fu, mystical battling wizards, and "It was a dark and stormy night" scary ghost story.
I never tire of watching it. The script is replete with wonderful snatches of dialogue. For instance, ever wonder what's in a Six Demon Bag? "Wind, fire, all that kind of thing!"
Big Trouble in Little China is just that good.
If there was ever a movie that cried out for a sequel (or two) it was this under-rated lark from the master John Carpenter.
Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 26, 2010
