Written by: Gary Goldman & David Z. Weinstein (written by), WD Richter (adaptation)
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Kim Cattrall
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Truck driver Jack Burton is pulled into a battle with Chinese sorcerer Lo Pan over girls with green eyes.
Verdict
This movie is awesome. At first glance this looks like a kung-fu B-movie, but don't let that fool you. From the great sidekick poised as hero Jack Burton and his sharp dialog to the nefarious Lo Pan, this movie is just fun. It's easy to enjoy it as a fast paced supernatural action movie, but it does a great job of deconstructing the action movie genre.
Watch it.
Review
Yes, I've reviewed this movie before (read my review), but I saw it again in a theater. I loved this movie as a kid and I still love it. Seeing it in the theater might be the peak of my moving going experiences this year. There are certain movies I've always wanted to see in a theater.
Kurt Russell plays Jack Burton, an over confident, big ego truck driver. He's built as the quintessential action hero and has the one liners to prove it. Burton provides so many quotable lines. In his first scene he's driving his truck and imparting his wisdom into a C.B. radio to no one in particular. He seems like a try hard, but action heroes often are. With this genre, we aren't surprised when Jack falls into a wild adventure. While we don't bat an eye when movie heroes mow down bad guys, Jack looks surprised when we first see him shoot and kill with his sub-machine gun. He's asked if it is his first time "plugging" someone to which he responds "of course not." Jack will tell you he's been everywhere and done everything, but nearly all of his reactions betray a certain vulnerability despite his actions being cavalier. Jack doesn't accomplish as much as his friend Wang, but he does manage a decisive victory. Like Jack told us from the start, "It's all in the reflexes."
The true hero, and the person that pulls Jack into this adventure is Wang Chi. His girlfriend is kidnapped at the airport, and he's determined to save her. Watch any big action sequence. Wang does the heavy lifting while Jack is distracted. Wang is the one that presses forward despite the opposition. Jack tags along because he won't allow himself to look weak. He's the one that makes a big deal about facing the enemy and thus watching him, we naturally want to label him as the hero.
Watching it through this time, I get a hint of political satire and jingoism from Jack Burton. Jack is the American trucker wearing a Harley-Davidson cap that knows what to do in every situation, at least that's what he'll tell you. He's happy to step into this Chinese black magic situation and tell Wang what to do even when Wang cautions that Jack has no idea what he's getting into because he's an outsider. Jack never asks for context or questions the experts. He barges in full force
The women are props. Gracie Law is an exposition machine. So many of her lines start with her repeating a characters name and then giving a brief description. It's painful, but it has to be intentional with the subtleties in this movie and the deconstruction of the action genre.
On the surface this looks like a kung-fu movie, and it's easy to enjoy it as that. The fight scenes are more than serviceable and the special effects aren't bad at all for a movie this old. This movie offers a lot more if you dig into it. I've seen this movie enough times that I can quote a majority of it, but it's impressive that I enjoyed it as a kid, recreating the martial arts scenes and telling people at a time like this I always say, "What the heck." to wondering if Jack is a metaphor for America and how it treats the rest of the world.
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