I had decided to watch this movie for review simply due to the fact that as much as I love this movie... Nix seemed completely against it. The original idea was we would write a review together with the contacting opinions, such as we had with Hood of the Dead. However, since life for both of us has made getting together to do this review like we had wanted impossible, I hope he finds time to write a review for this movie.

Now on to the film. BTLC starts off with an old Chinese tour guide (named Egg Shen, played by Victor Wong) is being interviewed about the strange occurrences that have been happening in China Town. His lawyer questions the contents of this story and asks if Egg knows the whereabouts of Jack Burton. Egg tells the lawyer to leave Jack out of it, and then the lawyer asks if Egg Shen really believes in magic, monsters, ghosts and sorcery. Of course Egg does and after professing that it's real, he shows the lawyer how he can make electricity between his hands. Egg says that's nothing, and that's how everything begins... very small.

We are quickly introduced to a truck driver named Jack Burton (played by Kurt Russell) and a restaurant owner named Wang Chi (played by Dennis Dun). They spend an entire night gambling, and after Wang looses a bet on cutting a bottle in two with his huge knife, Jack finds collecting his money will hurl him into a reality he never thought possible. It starts off Wang tells Jack he will pay him the money he owes after picking up his fiance' from the airport. Jack, fearing he wouldn't see the money, drives Wang to the airport, where we meet Gracie Law (played by Kim Cattrall). Jack's bungled attempt to pick up Gracie, is followed by the kidnapping of Miao Yin (the fiancé, played by Suzee Pai) by the Lords of Death street gang. Wang and Jack hop in the truck to get Miao Yin back, only to lose the truck and be attacked by the three Storms and Lo Pan (played by James Hong). It doesn't take long before Jack is informed he has found himself in the middle of an age old battle between a near immortal that wishes to be mortal and needs a woman with jade green eyes to fulfill his wish. Jack and Wang team up with Egg Shen and Gracie Law to defeat Lo Pan, get Miao Yin back, and recover Jack's only love... his truck!

One of the great things about this movie is Jack (aka Kurt) asks all the questions for you. He's as much an outsider to this as the audience and seems to embody exactly what any person would be thinking in this movie: WTF!!! It's his shock at the strange happenings of Chinatown that gives this movie its realistic appeal. I love how he reacts to everything. This movie has a ridiculous premise, nothing that could possibly be real... and Jack makes sure everyone who lives, knows it.

Jack's character is perfectly cast and he's not the only one: Victor Wong has the creepy but warm feeling of the good guy, just like James Hong has the evil presence you would expect from the bad guy. Dennis Dun makes the perfect hero, Suzee Pai is a great victim, and Kim Cattrall is a great heroine. No one could ever match this ensemble... and if they tried, I think the movie would be shit!

The effects for the time were fantastic... at least, in my childhood memory they were. Watching it now as an adult, I see the fakeness of the special effects but it's hard for me to say if this was as fake looking as it is now, now that I'm used to CGI. If I had to be a judge of the time, and the movies that were made back in 1986, I'm going to say this was cutting edge.

The only complaint I have with this movie is how silly it all is. Potions, light coming out of eyes and mouth, a floating blob of eyes, strange Bigfoot thing walking around, a turtle man expanding for no reason, and other weirdities make me wonder what the hell they were smoking when they wrote this movie. If by some chance they read this... please email me and let me know where I can get some.

In conclusion... This is a fun movie to watch. It's strange, funny, and still has that creepy monster effect that you can only find in the 80's!