Big Trouble in Little China (1986): The Most Entertaining Action Movie in the West (Review)

For those of you who haven’t seen Big Trouble in Little China, I don’t know who you are what with it being one of the most over-broadcast films of UK TV of the past twenty years, but I’ll continue. John Carpenter’s 9th feature-length film is a Chinese Fantasy movie veiled under the covers of a rowdy 80s action movie. In Carpenter’s movie, we find a world of mystery under the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown. In this world of magic & monsters, the mysterious Lo Pan seeks to break a centuries-old curse by claiming a green-eyed woman as his wife, against her and her fiancées will, of course. In the middle of all this is Jack Burton (Carpenter regular Kurt Russell) who just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and wants his truck back.

Despite being dipped in rich Chinese tradition and history, this is very much an action film of the 80s and very American with that. Although it may appear dainty to modern audiences, maybe even camp, it could never be described as anything less than fun. In an age where action movies take themselves more and more seriously, this is important. Even if the martial arts and choreography are over-designed, the energy and pacing help keep your attention under complete control. There’s barely a second to stop and take stock, Big Trouble in Little China is everything an action film should be.

This is a simple action film; there could be no other way to look at it. However, when placed beside Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers it becomes clear that Big Trouble in Little China is cut from the same satirical cloth. Verhoeven parodied America’s imperialism and foreign policy through his war with space ‘bugs’. Carpenter’s film uses the character of Jack Burton to parody American over-confidence.

In the movie, Burton is the first to say anything about anything and he’s the same when it comes to a fight. His actual ability is a little less remarkable, there is only one occasion where he does something well, the rest of the time he is either make a fool of himself, showing how out of shape he is or over-compensating in the most ridiculous of ways. Even if he is performed with the utmost gusto and swagger by Kurt Russell, Jack Burton is the blundering antithesis to every leading man in any Hollywood action movies. He is the antidote we never knew we needed.

It’s not just as a vehicle for entertainment where Big Trouble in Little China is a success, it also consistent with the stylistic commitment championed by the director. The costume may be overindulgent and the likes of three storms may be over-dramatic to the point of becoming camp, but that all adds to the personality. The otherworldly also gets the same sort of treatment you’d expect in a Carpenter movie: the magic, the inflating man, the set design, it’s all iconic. The only aspect of that design that lets down the side is a goblin skulking around in the sewers. The way the actor carries himself and the character design is all first-rate and although it sounds incredibly superficial to say its face lets down the side. Even writing that down sounds horrible. In fact, dubious fashion aside, the goblin is the only real thing that shows the age of the film.

Big Trouble in Little China is one of the most loved entries into the library of John Carpenter as well as the 1980s at large. You may have seen the film countless times and you may already own the DVD, but when it’s packaged in a set like this and it has the phenomenal HD Arrow treatment, maybe the time has come to trade in that old worn-out DVD and join the Blu-ray revolution. In showing his appreciation for the wacky Hong Kong fantasy actioner, Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, John Carpenter has not only crafted the most fun film of his career, but you’d also be hard pushed to find something that matches it since it was released all the way back in 1986.

Thanks for reading our late review of Big Trouble in Little China

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