FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Big Trouble In Little China [1986] [DVD]

Big Trouble In Little China [1986] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: John Carpenter Actors: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£17.99~~ Buy New: £2.40 as of 22/11/2009 17:50 GMT details You Save: £15.59 (87%) New (20) Used (8) Collectible (1) from £1.99 Seller: dabsales Rating: 27 reviews Sales Rank: 9590 Format: PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 96 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5039036016575 ASIN: B0002JK6GM Theatrical Release Date: July 2, 1986 Release Date: July 5, 2004 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Trying to explain the cult appeal of John Carpenter's IBig Trouble in Little China/I to the uninitiated is no easy task. The plot in a nutshell follows lorry driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) into San Francisco's Chinatown, where he's embroiled in street gang warfare over the mythical/magical intentions of would-be god David Lo Pan. There are wire-fu fight scenes, a floating eyeball and monsters from other dimensions. Quite simply it belongs to a genre of its own. Carpenter was drawing on years of chop-socky Eastern cinema tradition, which, at the time of the film's first release in 1986, was regrettably lost on a general audience. Predictably, it bombed.p But now that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have made it big in the West, and Hong Kong cinema has spread its influence across Hollywood, it's much, much easier to enjoy this film's happy-go-lucky cocktail of influences. Russell's cocky anti-hero is easy to cheer on as he "experiences some very unreasonable things" blundering from one fight to another, and lusts after the gorgeously green-eyed Kim Cattrall. The script is peppered with countless memorable lines, too ("It's all in the reflexes"). Originally outlined as a sequel to the equally obscure IAdventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension/I, IBig Trouble/I is a bona fide cult cinema delight. Jack sums up the day's reactions perfectly, "China is here? I don't even know what the Hell that means!". p BOn the DVD:/B IBig Trouble in Little China/I is released as a special edition two-disc set in its full unedited form. Some real effort has been put into both discs' animated menus, and the film itself is terrific in 2.35:1 and 5.1 (or DTS). The commentary by Carpenter and Russell may not be as fresh as their chat on IThe Thing/I, but clearly they both retain an enormous affection for the film. There are eight deleted scenes (some of which are expansions of existing scenes), plus a separate extended ending which was edited out for the right reasons. You'll also find a seven-minute featurette from the time of release, a 13-minute interview with FX guru Richard Edlund, a gallery of 200 photos, 25 pages of production notes and magazine articles from IAmerican Cinematographer/I and ICinefex/I. Best of all for real entertainment value is a music video with Carpenter and crew (the Coupe de Villes) coping with video FX and 80s hair-dos.--IPaul Tonks/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 27 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next » A re-watched classic!!! May 7, 2002 T Waits 17 out of 17 found this review helpful My brother, and I, first saw Big trouble..., when we were about 8 years old. We were just about to go on holiday and my father rented this video, immediate addoration!!! I mean it sounds silly now that I'm older, but my brother and I still have a copy each, it's true! Of course the subject matter is a must for all John Carpenter fans, (i.e. horror, sorcery, Kurt russell).Whilst admitting it never reaches the genre-defying heights of The Thing, or Halloween, the film never tries to be anything other than pure theatrical madness, check out Russell's performance for instance, never will you see a bigger all-american hero wannabe than Jack Burton. The special effects are great, the fight scenes are amazing, (the street fight in the alley especially between the 'wing-kong' and the chang-sings') and the script is, admirably, taking the mickey out-of-itself. All these elements make for a real good film, and with this DVD you get the extra bonus of deleted scenes, commentary, alternate endings and a much looked forward to music video starring, yes its true, John Carpenter himself...MAGIC!!! Excellent DVD treatment for a cult classic. June 14, 2002 14 out of 14 found this review helpful John Carpenter's Big Trouble In Little China is one of his lesser known films but is easily one of his best, and from the man who gave us The Thing, They Live, Halloween and the Escape movies thats not to be taken lightly. The story involves everything from kung-fu and stolen trucks to black magic and weird demon thingys. Kurt Russell is an absolute joy to watch as the completely inept hero of the movie and is backed up by a fabulous supporting cast. The extras are impressive but best of all is the commentary featuring Kurt Russell and John Carpenter who spend a lot of the time laughing at their movie inbetween chatting about their family and occasionally the movie. They come across as being the best of friends and it really make for a better film. I can't praise this enough. Big Trouble is exciting throughout and has a brilliant sense of humour making it great fun to watch. welcome to the Hell of Upside-Down Sinners! December 24, 2003 Deborah MacGillivray (US UK) 29 out of 31 found this review helpful The Critics shredded and diced this movie so I really went to the theatre expecting to see one sick puppy. Instead, I was delighted and I continue to be delighted every time I watch this marvelous movies. John Carpenter created an original howl of a time, with tongue firm planted through the cheek and simply went wild with fun and throw away lines, that will keep you coming back again and again. The Critics just did not get the JOKE!! Sigh...fortunately, the public did not agree. pA great cast Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, Kate Burton (Richard's Daughter), Victor Wong and James Hong take several wrong turns and end up in a war - kung fu style - kidnappings and all sorts "some very unreasonable things". Originally the manuscript for the second Buckaroo Banzai movie, Big Trouble hits bulls eye where BB just missed. It's over kill to the max, but such a great way to go as Jack Burton - Russell doing a BAD John Wayne Imitation - runs headlong into the magick underbelly of Chinatown. One critic put down Russell's performance as "was so poor, it was like he was doing a poor John Wayne imitation" WELL, DUH???? Earth to LM!! pRussell is taking Dennis Dun to pick up his bride to be, but she is mistakenly snatched. It's up to Russell, Dun, Wong and crew to try and get her back. Instead, they lose Kim Cattral to Hong as well as Burton's Peterbuilt "the Porkchop Express", so old Jack has to get mean.pIf you don't want to laugh so hard your ribs hurt, you don't enjoy parodies, you don't enjoy bad John Wayne imitations...fine give it a pass. But everyone else wanting a great time, this is one you should not miss! "It's all in the reflexes" Carpenter and Russell do it again June 5, 2007 Franklin T Marmoset 6 out of 6 found this review helpful Many years before Quentin Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers, John Carpenter was looking to Hong Kong cinema for inspiration. The resulting film, Big Trouble In Little China, sees Carpenter once again teaming up with frequent collaborator Kurt Russell to create (just as they did with Escape From New York) another of their memorable characters and put him slap bang in the middle of a unique premise. In this case, it's swaggering truck driver Jack Burton, who finds himself caught up in a bewildering world of kung fu, ancient Chinese magic, and creepy eyeball monsters as he helps his buddy Wang (Dennis Dun) rescue his girlfriend from two thousand year old bad guy (and master cackler) David Lo Pan. br / br /The brilliant conceit of Big Trouble is that would-be tough guy Burton thinks he's the hero of the piece when he's actually the useless sidekick (Wang does most of the hard work). This leads to much hilarity as the over-confident Burton gets himself into one scrape after another that he's simply not capable of getting out of. Russell shines throughout, creating a character who's as likable as he is clueless, and he pulls off a very funny parody of typical action movie protagonists. If Snake Plissken was his version of Clint Eastwood, Jack Burton is Russell's hilarious take on John Wayne. br / br /Aside from being funny, analytical types may even find a subtle hint of subtext in Burton's character - the brash, headstrong, somewhat ignorant American who barges into a foreign culture he doesn't understand and finds he's in way over his head. Sound familiar? br / br /As with several of Carpenter's eighties films, this one was sorely underappreciated on its inital release, but it has grown into a very deserved cult classic over the years. I was horrified to read recently that Big Trouble had been voted one of the 'best bad films' of all time. Frankly, whoever said that had no idea what they were talking about, and they've obviously missed the point of this excellent film. It's funny, exciting, has a marvellous central character, and is filled with great action and effects. In short, it succeeds admirably at everything it sets out to do. If that's bad, I don't know what good is. Fantasy Comedy at its best! March 26, 2002 5 out of 5 found this review helpful A tale of sorcery, romance and bravery in the tongue-in-cheek movie! After visiting his friend Wang, Jack Burton is thrust into a world which he cannot believe. Trying to save Wang's Fiancee, Jack finds himself fighting the evil sorcerer Lopan, in a quest to save the world (and his beloved truck). With action, comedy, magic and superb characters (including brKim cattral as reporter Gracie), this is a worthy addition to anyones dvd collection! Who cares about extras when you have such an enjoyable, fantastic movie! A must see! Showing reviews 1-5 of 27 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next »

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