Big Trouble in Little China (1986), John Carpenter
4/5
This cult favourite is a brilliant combination of so many factors which come together in a unique and hilarious way. Kurt Russell gives his most memorable and loveable performance as Jack Burton the action hero every-man who is more useless and a side kick than true hero. He has some amazing one liners and gives a hilarious and self conscious yet believable performance (trust me, that combination works!). The story is a bizarre and hilarious mixture of the genres, action, western, martial arts, and comedy which works in memorable ways. The fight scenes are funny and bad ass with tacky special effects. Performances are great and overly melodramatic including the great Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law the sincere yet breathy over-eager reporter and romantic interest. This film has so much to offer, and while it was a flop at the box office it's become a fan favourite over the years. I cannot say enough about the hilarious and fun aspects of the film. A moment of note is the scene where Kurt Russell's character Jack pretends to be a nerd going under cover in a brothel. Overall this film works because it plays the genre tropes so beautifully and you can really tell that the cast and crew all took the film as fun and themselves not too seriously making it highly enjoyable and re-watchable. The DVD and Blu-Ray also contain a great film commentary by Carpenter and Russell.
