Big Trouble in Little China

John Carpenter’s colorful, kooky, ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ supernatural kung fu fantasy comedy action flick is an uproariously rampaging adventure in the grand tradition of 1930s cliffhanger serials. Reuniting the director with his charismatic good luck charm from Escape from New York and The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China stars Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a cocky truck driver prone to John Wayne posturing who finds himself in over his head as he battles ancient Chinese warlords and hideous demons to save feisty damsel in distress Kim Cattrall. As he races through the mean catacombs beneath Chinatown, Jack and his ragtag band of rescuers encounter literally every obstacle imaginable: devil women, water torture, deadly ninjas, fire breathing ghosts, black magic monsters … well, you get the picture. Directing in high pulp comic book style, Carpenter proves himself a masterful genre mechanic, fashioning one of his most purely entertaining films out of discarded remnants from the pop culture junk pile, in the process creating a true cult classic that never slows down long enough to wear out its welcome. (Dir. by John Carpenter, USA, 1986, 99 mins., Rated PG-13)