Imagine a movie that makes a hero out of a man so dense that he can't keep up in most conversations and is useless in a fight. That is Kurt Russell's Jack Burton, played with a slight John Wayne impersonation and a massive superiority complex. Most of the heavy lifting is done by "sidekick" Dennis Dunn as the high flying Wang Chi and Victor Wong as the mysterious Egg Shen. James Wong is fantastic as both the ten foot tall roadblock and the little basket case on wheels, Lo Pan, who kidnaps Wang's girl and Jack's partner in sexual tension. What passes for a plot, which is just an excuse for fights and silliness, has the two of them storming Lo Pan's castle for their damsels, several times, until they it right. The only sad thing is that this marked the beginning of the end of Carpenter's hot streak. People, including those in the studio, didn't get this movie and he had more then enough of their talk. If some don't love it, they just have poor reflexes.
P.S. The commentary by Russell and Carpenter is classic. Two old friends shooting the breeze, reminiscing about a movie they loved making. As a matter of fact, the commentaries from The Thing and Escape From New York are a blast too.
P.S. The commentary by Russell and Carpenter is classic. Two old friends shooting the breeze, reminiscing about a movie they loved making. As a matter of fact, the commentaries from The Thing and Escape From New York are a blast too.