---
title: "Big Trouble in Little China"
year: 1986
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/big-trouble-in-little-china"
fi1m_id: "big-trouble-in-little-china"
imdb_id: "tt0090728"
tmdb_id: 6978
wikidata_id: "Q859494"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 63
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:36.078053+00:00"
region: "HU"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 40m · NMHH 12 · Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

## Identity

Big Trouble in Little China

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/big-trouble-in-little-china
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** big-trouble-in-little-china
- **IMDb ID:** tt0090728
- **TMDB ID:** 6978
- **Wikidata ID:** Q859494
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090728/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/6978, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q859494

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 63 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Kurt Russell has wandered into a martial-arts film and still thinks he should be giving the orders

> John Carpenter’s martial-arts fantasy is good, unruly fun, carried by Kurt Russell’s splendidly unqualified hero. The fights sometimes labour and the effects grow tiresome, but the joke at Jack Burton expense keeps working.

## Synopsis

Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) finds himself caught up in a Chinatown adventure involving martial arts, magic and an ancient magician’s plans. Confidence comes more readily to him than an understanding of what is happening. Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) and Egg Shen (Victor Wong) are among those drawn into the trouble, with James Hong as David Lo Pan. As fighting and supernatural threats complicate matters, Burton persists in behaving as though he is qualified to take charge. John Carpenter directs this mixture of action, fantasy and comedy.

## Review

*Big Trouble in Little China* is good, untidy fun, with a central joke strong enough to survive some rather laboured fighting. John Carpenter puts a confident American truck driver into a martial-arts fantasy and lets him misunderstand his own importance. Kurt Russell plays Jack Burton as a man who assumes that being the loudest person present amounts to a qualification. The film enjoys that mistake without despising him for making it.

Russell’s performance gives the comedy something sturdier than a succession of knowing references. Jack’s bluster is funny because Russell allows the incompetence to register without turning every line into an appeal for a laugh. We laughed at Jack talking as though he had everything under control, because Russell makes it plain how little he understands. In a genre so often organised around one man’s unquestionable competence, it is a pleasure to watch the supposed hero require this much tolerance.

The screenplay by David Z. Weinstein and Gary Goldman is happiest when the action punctures Jack’s view of himself. Its mixture of comedy, martial arts and supernatural adventure gives Carpenter plenty to juggle, and he usually keeps the tone light enough to accommodate the changes. The joke also usefully unsettles the familiar business of an American taking charge of somebody else’s culture. That does not clear away all the Chinatown clichés, but it stops Jack’s swagger becoming the film’s own.

Dean Cundey’s cinematography makes the wire-assisted action feel sufficiently solid that we can enjoy its absurdity. The flying bodies give the fights a welcome disregard for ordinary human limitations. John J. Lloyd’s production design supplies elaborate surroundings for the magical business, though there are times when the effects become more insistent than anything around them. We would happily spend longer looking at what has been built and less time watching another fight occupy it.

The action is where our enthusiasm becomes qualified. Editors Mark Warner, Edward A. Warschilka and Steve Mirkovich keep events coming briskly, but speed cannot disguise how often the film asks us to enjoy much the same sort of collision. Some fights feel heavy, and the accumulation of effects makes an already busy adventure harder to follow. The trouble is not that the magic needs explaining; it is that another burst of activity sometimes arrives before we have enjoyed the last one.

The music by Alan Howarth and Carpenter helps preserve the sense that this is meant to be fun. It presses the adventure along without demanding that we take Jack at his own valuation. That matters when the martial arts are not nimble enough to carry the entertainment unaided: against the Hong Kong sword-and-sorcery tradition it borrows from, the fighting can look cumbersome. Carpenter’s comedy does more convincing work, especially whenever Russell undermines the expected display of heroism.

The 100-minute running time helps, although a few of those minutes could have been surrendered without much loss. There is enough affection in Russell’s performance to make another spell of confusion tolerable. The film remains good company even when the action is doing less than it should. Choose it for a light evening, provided losing track of the supernatural business will not spoil the pleasure.

*Fi1m score 78, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to the film’s unruly blend of comedy, martial arts and supernatural adventure. Praise centres on Kurt Russell’s bungling Jack Burton: his misplaced confidence gives the action a comic centre, while the film’s self-mockery helps familiar adventure material feel less derivative. The favourable reviews also credit John Carpenter with keeping the proceedings lively, finding pleasure in the stunts, visual invention and willingness to make the apparent hero look foolish.

The divide is wide, however, particularly over whether that energy lasts. Reservations cluster around repetitive fights, effects that crowd out character and a story that becomes difficult to follow. Even Radio Times, which dislikes the genre mixture, finds Russell amiable; the Los Angeles Times instead regards his performance as part of the problem. What admirers enjoy as playful absurdity strikes the dissenters as strained, with spectacle doing too much of the work.

## Straight answers

**Is Big Trouble in Little China worth watching?**

*Big Trouble in Little China* is worth watching for anyone who wants a light, unruly evening of martial-arts fantasy with a hero who has no business being in charge, and we scored it 78. Kurt Russell's Jack Burton is the reason to see it. The fights sometimes labour and the effects pile up, so patience with muddle is required.

**How long is Big Trouble in Little China, and what is it rated?**

*Big Trouble in Little China* runs 1h 40m and is rated 12 by the NMHH in Hungary. It is an action and adventure film.

**Where can I watch Big Trouble in Little China in Hungary?**

*Big Trouble in Little China* is streaming on Disney+ in Hungary. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Big Trouble in Little China, and is it suitable for children?**

*Big Trouble in Little China* carries a UK 15 certificate, with wire-assisted martial-arts fighting and supernatural threats throughout, so it is not for young children. The violence is played for absurdity rather than pain, and the tone stays light. Teenagers used to fantasy action should manage it comfortably; the squeamish have little to fear beyond noise and clutter.

**How does Big Trouble in Little China compare to Attack the Block?**

*Big Trouble in Little China* is the looser and sillier of the two, while [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) is the tighter film with firmer stakes and clearer action. Carpenter's picture lives on Kurt Russell's bluster and can lose you in its busy fights and effects. Cornish's estate siege is funnier in a sharper way and more frightening, though it underlines its social lessons too heavily.

**What should I watch after Big Trouble in Little China?**

After *Big Trouble in Little China*, try [*A Chinese Ghost Story*](https://film.one/film/a-chinese-ghost-story) (1987, Fi1m 82): Supernatural danger, physical comedy and romance, with more room for tenderness. Then [*The Good, the Bad, the Weird*](https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-the-weird) (2008, Fi1m 74): Competing egos and frantic pursuits make a western pleasingly difficult to predict; and [*Attack the Block*](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block) (2011, Fi1m 84): Unlikely defenders face unfamiliar creatures, with sharp jokes and firmer stakes.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **Little White Lies**, Ewen Hosie (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's cult appeal and self-aware genre mashup as ahead of its time, highlighting its entertaining qualities, visual flair, effects, score, and subversion of racial stereotypes through Russell's dumb but endearing hero. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/big-trouble-in-little-china-30th-anniversary-john-carpenter)
- **Slant Magazine**, Robert C. Cumbow (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film the most underrated of 1986 and praises its skillful blend of comedy, action, and genre elements as better than the Indiana Jones films. He singles out Kurt Russell's self-deflating, heroic performance as Jack Burton for particular praise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-86-big-trouble-in-little-china-take-1/)
- **Empire**, Kim Newman (80/100, inferred): The critic finds it one of John Carpenter’s more amiable pictures, an American tribute to Hong Kong sword-and-sorcery films that is breathlessly paced, wittily scripted and action-packed despite a confusing climax. It singles out Kurt Russell’s bungling hero performance and the introduction of Chinese-style wirework and mythology for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/big-trouble-little-china-review/)
- **Time Out**, CPea (75/100, inferred): The critic notes the film's self-mockery saves it from being derivative, praising Russell's bozo trucker persona and the sly humour amid Chinatown clichés and kung fu action, though the martial arts fall short of Hong Kong standards. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/big-trouble-in-little-china)
- **The New York Times**, Walter Goodman (70/100, inferred): The review praises the wild stunts, spirit, and exotic kung-fu action as delivering good value in an upscale send-up of mystical adventure tropes. Carpenter is credited with keeping the proceedings lively despite the familiar genre elements. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/02/movies/the-screen-big-trouble-wild-stunts.html)
- **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (2/5): The critic finds the attempt to fuse martial arts with adventure does not gel, praising Russell's amiable inept hero but complaining that fight scenes are stodgy and special effects take over. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rscuzj/big-trouble-in-little-china/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (40/100, inferred): The film begins with a promising high-concept premise and visually spectacular opening but soon recycles its action set pieces to the point of exhaustion. Ebert faults the overreliance on special effects at the expense of character engagement. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/big-trouble-in-little-china-1986)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Wilmington (20/100, inferred): The film is dismissed as overcalculated absurdity that squanders talent on balderdash, with the story going leaden and detonating into firebombs of foolishness. Russell’s John Wayne impersonation is singled out as a misstep that undermines the concept. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-02-ca-428-story.html)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (**): The promising story of an ancient magician and his quest collapses as Carpenter’s attempt at an Indiana Jones-style adventure goes horribly awry. Kurt Russell’s embarrassed performance as the truck-driver hero is highlighted as emblematic of the film’s misfired tone. [Read](https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/big-trouble-in-little-china-1200426976)
- **HeyUGuys**, Joe Cunningham (4/5): The critic finds the film hard to pin down with constant subversions of expectations and red herrings, but praises its incredible action and genius comedy as making it unlike anything else and an essential watch that stands the test of time. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/big-trouble-little-china-blu-ray-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** John Carpenter
- **Director:** John Carpenter
- **Screenplay:** David Z. Weinstein, Gary Goldman
- **Cinematography:** Dean Cundey
- **Editor:** Steve Mirkovich, Mark Warner, Edward A. Warschilka
- **Music:** John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
- **Production design:** John J. Lloyd
- **Costume design:** April Ferry
- **Producer:** Larry J. Franco
- **Cast:** Kurt Russell as Jack Burton; Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law; Dennis Dun as Wang Chi; James Hong as David Lo Pan; Victor Wong as Egg Shen; Kate Burton as Margo; Donald Li as Eddie Lee; Carter Wong as Thunder
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **Certificate (NMHH):** 12
- **Release (Hungary):** 28 July 1988
- **Genres:** Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $25 million
- **Box office:** $11 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXsBBqPb5YE

## Where to watch in Hungary

- Disney+: streaming, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RS, SE, SI, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *A Chinese Ghost Story* (1987), Fi1m 82: Supernatural danger, physical comedy and romance, with more room for tenderness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-chinese-ghost-story.md)
- *The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension* (1984): Another cheerfully overcrowded adventure that expects us to catch up.
- *The Good, the Bad, the Weird* (2008), Fi1m 74: Competing egos and frantic pursuits make a western pleasingly difficult to predict. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-the-weird.md)
- *The Golden Voyage of Sinbad* (1973): For the pleasure of watching adventurers confront monsters someone has carefully made.
- *Attack the Block* (2011), Fi1m 84: Unlikely defenders face unfamiliar creatures, with sharp jokes and firmer stakes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/attack-the-block.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/big-trouble-in-little-china