BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

Jack (Kurt Russell) is a rugged, wise-cracking truck driver who thinks he's a little cooler than he actually is. He enjoys taking breaks from his day job by meeting up in Chinatown with wheeler-dealer pal Wang (Denis Dun) and indulging in light wagers. A typical one would be betting on whether Wang can slice a beer bottle clean in half with his trusty machete...

Wang asks Jack to do him a favour: give him a lift to the local airport to pick up his green-eyed fiancée. This seemingly simple task is the catalyst for an epic adventure when said fiancée is kidnapped from the airport by a gang of punks, and Jack finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a longstanding Chinatown gang war that also takes in the mystic Asian sorcerer Lo Pan (James Hong), and a sassy, rapid-taking lawyer/love interest in the form of the feisty Gracie (Kim Cattrall).

I doubt readers need any more than that. CHINA is one of those films that, despite its reputation as a box office flop, everyone seemed to catch up with on video in the 1980s. With its tongue firmly in cheek from beginning to end, and action set-pieces that nodded both to the vintage boys' own adventures that propelled the likes of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and ROMANCING THE STONE, as well the stunt-laden martial arts wizardry of many a Shaw Brothers picture, it was a film of pure entertainment, the likes of which few had seen before.

Perhaps that's why it was so hard for many to digest upon its 1986 release. Russell's hero is anything but heroic. Not only does he maintain a mercenary nature, but he's also one of the clumsiest leading men in history. He fights his battles with all the grace of a chicken in flight, and even faces the final showdown with Cattrall's lipstick smeared messily across his face for its entirety. But it's his bungling, gleefully self-effacing turn that provides the film its much-needed centre. For all its unflagging pace, enjoyably dated FX work and stunning combat choreography, BIG TROUBLE is frequently a messy affair - perhaps it's a case of director John Carpenter trying to cram too many ideas and influences into a single film - and Russell's antihero emerges as its one essential constant.

Cattrall is warmer than latecomers will know her to be, while Dun offers great comic relief as Russell's sidekick. Factor in some entertainingly cheesy 80s electronic music and increasingly surreal moments as the action progresses (exploding villains; flying mystics etc), and you have yourself a film that almost defies categorisation.

It's flawed, certainly, but BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA is also a lot of fun.

Arrow Films Video provide Carpenter's big budget film with its debut UK blu-ray release, and they really have pulled out all the stops for this one.

The film is presented uncut in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and, of course, is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Presented as a healthily sized MPEG4-AVC file, the 1080p HD transfer from the original camera negative has enjoyed a full restoration. The results are extremely agreeable. Never has the film looked as clean or as vibrant as it does here, Dean Cundey's cinematography really shining through along with the colours of the production design like never before. Natural, filmic, incredibly detailed and remarkably free from signs of wear-and-tear, CHINA has never looked so good.

English audio comes in a choice of losses 2.0 and a new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Both are corkers. Optional English subtitles for the Hard-of-Hearing are well-written and easy to read at all times. The disc opens to an animated main menu page. From there, a pop-up scene-selection menu allows access to the film via 12 chapters.

Extra features commence with a fine audio commentary track from Russell and Carpenter. If you've heard their chat track on THE THING, then you'll know exactly what to expect here: a couple of old pals enjoying themselves, laughing uproariously at times and candidly celebrating all that works and does not work in their film. It makes for a most worthwhile listen.

A nice selection of HD interviews follows. The first of these is a 12-minute chinwag with Carpenter, who's looking old(er) these days but continues to puff away on his cigarettes while discussing his influences in Chinese cinema.

Russell sports a beard and glasses, which combine to make him look like Robin Williams during his 21-minute interview. He speaks fondly of the films he made with Carpenter, getting the part of Jack and how he worked with his director to make him a clumsy hero. Amusingly, he finds time to have a dig at the crappy original poster art for the film, which featured an illustration that looked nothing like him.

Cundey is on hand for the next 16 minutes, confirming that Russell is a totally unpretentious actor, airing his admiration for Carpenter and talking us through his own career trajectory.

Next up is producer and first assistant-director Larry Franco, who explains how his relationship with Russell got him a few significant gigs, from ELVIS: THE MOVIE onwards. This featurette last for 15 minutes.

Stuntman Jeff Imada gets 12 minutes in the spotlight next.

The last 13-minute interview belongs to visual effects producer Richard Edlund.

All of the above are extremely well-produced, well-shot and edited efforts.

8 deleted scenes have been culled from various sources (including Betamax work tapes), and exist here for completists.

Remarkably, an extended ending that was only half-completed also shows up here, with Arrow having gone to the trouble of reassembling footage from a workprint and restoring a previously cut line of dialogue. This interesting titbit runs at 3 minutes in length.

20th Century Fox's vintage EPK-style featurette is untitled, but offers 7 minutes of intriguing behind-the-scenes footage and archive on-set interviews with the film's cast and crew. Pillar-boxed and rather rough-looking, this is still one of the most fascinating extras proffered on this disc.

There's also a hideous 3-minute music video by the Coupe de Villes which has to be seen to be believed, if only for the sight of Carpenter jiving while playing bass guitar and singing in an exaggeratedly deep voice. Nice.

3 original theatrical trailers and 6 TV spots keep the bonus material coming, while the fun is rounded off by a generous stills gallery and the option to view the film with its original score in isolation.

Although it wasn't made available for review purposes, this set also comes equipped with the usual Arrow collectors' booklet. In this case, it contains new notes by "The Films of John Carpenter" author John Kenneth Muir and a reprint of an old article on the film's special effects.

Arrow are releasing CHINA in both regular keepcase packaging and as a really nice-looking collectors' Steelbook.

If you're a fan, this is surely a must-have - I can't imagine BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA ever enjoying a stronger release than this.

By Stuart Willis