Films with hidden meaning: Big trouble in little China

reply to post by werewolf99


personally.. here's my Thread I've started .. but suffice it to say..

I believe there is ..

Well ol' JACK BURTON (you have to exclaim it like that - a little loud) would call this a good analogy.

Love this thread!! Big trouble us my favorite movie.

The part where he refers to Chinese black magic in the beginning. You got all wrong. I have listened to the directors commentary many times and John carpenter said they added the beginning lawyer scene after production to satisfy the studio.

Egg Shen is responding to the lawyers reference to the scene at the brothel where the three storms ( lopan's top goons . ). Abduct Miao yin ( the green eyed girl from china) the black magic is the green fireballs the bad guys are using according to the witnesses at the scene. Egg shens innocent from any black magic.

But st the same time you have too feel sorry for David lopan.

But as jack burton points out "Cummon Dave! After 2000 years you couldn't find one girl to fit the bill. Surly you're doing something wrong. In response lopan dues offer to boil the flesh off their bones but settles for drowning them in a submerged elevator shaft.

The directors commentary for the film is pretty awesome. There were many subtle jokes in the film that become more apparent when you get Kurt Russell and John carpenters scene by scene banter.

The movie btw was intended to be a western
No joke

Agree with the premise of the thread though and your over all point. Awesome movie. Awesome thread. Glad others are a fan of the movie as well .

Oh come ON!

Does nobody get this movie?

Jack is the fool. He is the screwup throughout the movie. He comes off as batman but he's Robins retarded cousin. Looks like Tarzan Fight's like Jane.
Wang is the hero. He's the one who does all of the ass kicking.
Mao Yuen is the innocent. (and hot. )
Gracie Law is the silly busybody that is nearly as big a screwup as Jack.

Lo pan is consumate evil. Vader. Voldemort. Scarface. Buttafuco.

Egg Chen is the hero's mentor. Obi-Wan. Gandalf. Mr. Miyagi. Sergant Hulka.

The hairy beast that snatches gracie is Bigfoots cousin Loyd.

The three furies are angry weathermen.

Cousin Eddie rocks that green plaid sports coat.

Honorable mention for the Six Demon Bag.

reply to post by BlueMule


Awesome insight!! When I watched the directors cut they explained that one if the subtle jokes ( which the studio never got) was that the hero ( the white guy ) is really the sidekick and the sidekick wang is really the hero. Check it out each fight scene the side kick kicks everyone's ass. The " hero" always fumbles looses his gun, knocks himself out, or just shies up too late and try's to get the credit. He does redeem himself at the end. " that's a nice knife mr burton!" Turns out it was.

reply to post by badgerprints


Yes!!!!! Spot on!!!!

In a side note the scene in the alley where lopan makes light come out of his eyes. Apparently the Asian community didnt take lightly to that part or the rest of the movie because a lawsuit was dropped on the producers saying the film was racist. I think it got dismissed.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


If you watch the film again you will see that what I have noticed in the film is true. Also I would like to add that writers put depth even into what looks like the most shallow of films.

Kurt Russel is at his funniest in the film when he slips into that John Wayne parody voice.

At the start of the film the lawyer says"Do you believe in magic?" Egg Chen "Chinese black magic yes"

Note spells and almost all magic oy anykind is thought of by the chinese as Black magic: Ie that most magic is bad, and therefore to work it Egg Chen would have to be an evil magician.

reply to post by werewolf99


Nope the Chinese black magic is a reference to the "green flames". The witnesses saw at the brothel. Egg when was said to be involved and so the lawyer is questioning him on the veracity of such a thing. Basically the witness say they saw black magic. Egg when is confirming. Also notice he's sorta saying Chinese black magic in a sarcastic sense as if to co-op the language of the ignorant lawyer.

Btw that whole scene as added aftercthevfactcand wasn't written by the writer or the director but done studio head who felt like there wasn't enough explanation to the movie. Same with the scene where they are drinking egg shens. 5 demon bag concoction and they do a toast to the USA. The producers made them add that in because they felt the movie wasn't patriotic enough. Rambo having just came out and all.

reply to post by werewolf99


Egg when claims to be a sorcerer in Chinese Taoist alchemy which would make sense. Remember the scene in the restraint when egg when is doing a reading of chicken bones and mentioned that Chinese religions are like salad bar they taiecwhat they want and leave the rest. He's going into his Taoist alchemy stuff there.

you leave jack burton alone!!![/egg shan]

jack burton was not bad.
he was good and so was wang but burton had to be written like the anti hero. its a common character motiff.

that movie is just plain awesome. i wish they would do another one with todays effects. of course that one will always rule but a 2014 version would be nice.
imagine how bad ass the 3 storms would look.

jack really would drive through lo pan instead of knocking down a cardboard cutout