A John Carpenter classic, this movie is so close to perfect it’s unbelievable. Not as classic cinema, not as biting satire or high drama, but as fantasy comedy or a parody of fantasy adventure movies, it’s the best I’ve ever seen. Everybody has fun in this movie. Russell shines as an Indiana Jones/Snake Plissken parody (a parody of Snake? Yes, indeed…). Carpenter’s script is, as always, a combination of light action, horror and fantasy, with his usual meticulous research into his subject matter. Yes, all of the core fantasy elements are taken from Chinese fairy tales and mythology. Great cheesy lines, wonderful Day-Glo set design, some very wierd hells, sloppy but enthusiastic wirework and a furry monster that just won’t go away make this a classic. There are many better serious movies, but very few that are so much fun.
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
- Peter Kwong as Rain
- James Pax as Lightning
- Suzee Pai as Miao Yin
- Chao Li Chi as Uncle Chu