About this episode

The episode dives into the cult classic 'Big Trouble in Little China', exploring its characters, themes, and the unique blend of genres.

“It's all in the reflexes.” Join Ian & Liam for our 338th episode as we descend into the neon-lit underworld beneath San Francisco's Chinatown for John Carpenter's gloriously bonkers cult classic Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Megs isn't with us this week — she accidentally accepted an invitation to Lo Pan's wedding and we're told she's currently trying to escape a floating wheelchair and several unfortunate centuries-old curses. Kev? He confidently followed Jack Burton into an alley "because it'll be quicker this way" and hasn't been seen since a glowing eyeball floated past. This week we discuss: Kurt Russell's Jack Burton — swaggering, endlessly quotable, and hilariously convinced he's the hero. Is Jack actually the greatest accidental sidekick in cinema history? Who did Kurt Russell actually base his performance of Jack Burton off of? Dennis Dun's Wang Chi — the film's true protagonist hiding in plain sight. How does Carpenter brilliantly disguise whose story this really is? What 1990s video game phenomenon was heavily inspired by this film? John Carpenter's genre mash-up — martial arts, fantasy, horror, comedy, and action. Why should this film never have worked…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ian, Liam

Topics covered

• cult classic
• film analysis
• character study
• genre mash-up
• cinema history

Keywords

• Big Trouble in Little China
• Kurt Russell
• John Carpenter
• film analysis
• cult classic
• character study
• genre mash-up

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: John Carpenter

Books & works: Big Trouble in Little China

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