Big Trouble in Little China

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Big Trouble in Little China

PG-13

1986

1h 39m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

73%

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66 Reviews

82%

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100,000+ Ratings

Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.

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Critics Consensus

Brimming with energy and packed with humor, Big Trouble in Little China distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

A rollicking, colourful comic strip of a movie with bells on.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 29, 2021

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Carpenter and his lively cast seem to be having such a good time that the easiest thing to do is relax and enjoy the ride. In a way, this is the movie "Escape from New York" was trying to be but never quite managed to pull off.

Jun 29, 2021

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Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

Watching Kurt Russell display not only a set of bulging biceps, but also... easy-going self-confidence is admittedly fun at times, even if the movie is as impenetrable as chop suey.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 29, 2021

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Horror maestro John Carpenter is clearly in awe of Hong Kong movies, but this brave attempt to fuse martial arts action with a westernised adventure story sadly doesn't quite gel.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 13, 2024

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

On many occasions I have the feeling that its recycling of genres with a B-series formula is hackneyed and terribly boring when Kurt Russell fights in a simple way in the bizarre alleys of Chinatown. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/10

Dec 21, 2022

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

...it is certainly great fun—as deliberately absurd a contraption...

Aug 19, 2022

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Jacqueline P

Such a great film. Full of adventure, great acting, so enjoyable and nostalgic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/25

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Jack F

It's so 80s, with Russell at his best. Worth a watch for anytime of day.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/20/25

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Michael L.

While this can't be said for all of Carpenter's films, this one has gotten better with age. This is an all time classic. It is uniquely its own, even while reminding you of things you have seen before, but never done quite this fun. Highly recommended.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/25

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Olivia J

When a circus is done right, you get caught up in its rhythm and lost in the fun of it. Carpenter has done it right.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/02/25

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Justin M

One of the greatest movies ever made!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

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Jordan B.

Big Trouble In Little China is a certified cinema classic. Every minute of this movie entertains you from start to finish, it's action-packed, hilarious and the visual effects are stunning to a point that they even hold up today. Not to mention that Kurt Russell's Jack Burton is by far one of the most iconic performances of his entire career. 10/10 please see this movie ASAP if you haven't already.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

Full Review

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John Carpenter

Director

Kurt Russell

Jack Burton

Kim Cattrall

Gracie Law

Dennis Dun

Wang Chi

James Hong

David Lo Pan

Victor Wong

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Synopsis

Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: Gary Goldman, David Weinstein, W.D. Richter
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: TAFT Entertainment, SLM Production Group, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.0M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Mono, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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