I remember having watched this film several times on cable when I was a kid. I couldn't remember much about the plot, but I did remember it had some of the best movie martial arts fight scenes I had ever seen. There were a couple of occassions when some of the neighborhood gang attempted to repeat the stunts we had seen. I mention this little ancedote because it pretty much sums up BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. The film itself doesn't make much sense (unless you know a lot about Chineese mysticism) and is really too complicated to discuss here, but it isn't necessary do so anyway.The movie is a comical action flick. It's sort of a parody of the typical American western, but set in ancient China. The film is remembered not for it's story, but for it's action. The fighting scenes I saw as a kid have remained with me and those same scenes have influenced lots of Hollywood filmmakers. If you think the action scenes in THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON are original, think again. John Carpenter did those stunts first about fifteen years before.
Kurt Russell is hilarious to watch as the truck-driving, John Wayne spoof, Jack Burton. He's so stupid and conceited that he's totally oblivious to all that's going around him. Of course, most of the movie is told from his perspective because just like Jack, when it comes to Eastern mysticism, most of us are totally clueless.
Kim Cattrall, as Jack's love interest, Gracie Law, was never hotter than she was here. She's a smart, intelligent woman but her film career reached it's zenith here and it's not too hard to figure out why.
As previously mentioned, the action is awesome and is what largely drives the movie. However, the characters are a lot of fun to watch too. Overall, a fun mind candy movie to stimulate the Eastern part of your brain.
