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* LipstickMark: Hilariously, Jack delivers what he ''thinks'' is a straight example of a Badass challenge while he's got one on his lips from kissing Gracie.
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* PurpleProse: Lo Pan's inept attempts to gush about Miao Yin's looks.
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** The Storms' wickerwork hats are rather nice also, as the brims' weave is loose enough that they can see through it.
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** Also Lo Pan's sentry, which bears a striking resemblance to a [[DungeonsAndDragons beholder.]]
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** Also Lo Pan's sentry, which bears a striking resemblance to a [[DungeonsAndDragons [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons beholder.]]
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Tenchi Solution is a disambiguation
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* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two green-eyed women and sacrifice one of them.]]
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* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two green-eyed women and sacrifice one of them.]]
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Writer\'s name was listed as J.D. Richter. It\'s actually W.D. Richter
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One of JohnCarpenter's greatest films, written by J.D. Richter and released in 1986.
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One of JohnCarpenter's John Carpenter's greatest films, written by J.W.D. Richter and released in 1986.
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First, Fridge Brilliance is subjective. Second, how the hell is that an example?
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* {{Eagleland}}: Mocked, but in a good way. Nearly all of the main characters - save Jack and Gracie - are Chinese-American immigrants (including [[FridgeBrilliance Lo Pan]]) and the [[spoiler:main hero Wang Chi]] offers up a patriotic toast to America before drinking Egg's potion.
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* {{Eagleland}}: Mocked, but in a good way. Nearly all of the main characters - save Jack and Gracie - are Chinese-American immigrants (including [[FridgeBrilliance Lo Pan]]) Pan) and the [[spoiler:main hero Wang Chi]] offers up a patriotic toast to America before drinking Egg's potion.
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* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton. If one looks closely, a charge explodes just next to Jack's head. This was not done on purpose. Apparently, the special effects technitian set the charges to go off too soon, nearly resulting in Kurt Russel being injured. Of course they decided to ThorwItIn anyway.
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* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton. If one looks closely, a charge explodes just next to Jack's head. This was not done on purpose. Apparently, the special effects technitian set the charges to go off too soon, nearly resulting in Kurt Russel being injured. Of course they decided to ThorwItIn ThrowItIn anyway.
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* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton.
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* HeroOfAnotherStory: We get quite a few, befitting the theme of the movie that Jack actually isn't the hero:
** Egg Shen has been fighting Lo Pan (and likely other mystical forces) for several years.
** Gracie Law and her friend have been exposing the Chinatown underworld, resulting in her knowing quite a bit about the local gangs to the point where they now want to kill her.
** While this is the first time Wang has been up against supernatural threats (he grew up believing them to be myths), he obviously has experience at fighting bad guys and even has an alliance with one of the local gangs.
** Even Eddie, of all people, implies that he has killed before and is surprised to learn that Jack hasn't.
* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton. If one looks closely, a charge explodes just next to Jack's head. This was not done on purpose. Apparently, the special effects technitian set the charges to go off too soon, nearly resulting in Kurt Russel being injured. Of course they decided to ThorwItIn anyway.
** Egg Shen has been fighting Lo Pan (and likely other mystical forces) for several years.
** Gracie Law and her friend have been exposing the Chinatown underworld, resulting in her knowing quite a bit about the local gangs to the point where they now want to kill her.
** While this is the first time Wang has been up against supernatural threats (he grew up believing them to be myths), he obviously has experience at fighting bad guys and even has an alliance with one of the local gangs.
** Even Eddie, of all people, implies that he has killed before and is surprised to learn that Jack hasn't.
* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton. If one looks closely, a charge explodes just next to Jack's head. This was not done on purpose. Apparently, the special effects technitian set the charges to go off too soon, nearly resulting in Kurt Russel being injured. Of course they decided to ThorwItIn anyway.
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* {{Eagleland}}: Mocked, but in a good way. Nearly all of the main characters - save Jack and Gracie - are Chinese-American immigrants (including [[FridgeBrilliance Lo Pan]]) and the [[spoiler:main hero Wang Chi]] offers up a patriotic toast to America before drinking Egg's potion.
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween 1978}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
to:
* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween 1978}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing [[Film/TheThing1982 to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
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It\'s not that he wants to die. It\'s that he doesn\'t want to be a whithered old fossil anymore.
Deleted line(s) 140 (click to see context) :
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: A rare villain version in Lo Pan who wants to end his [[FateWorseThanDeath 2,000 years of existence]] [[AndIMustScream living as an immortal "evil dream"]], ironic in that normally one would be an ImmortalitySeeker
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* WrongGenreSavvy: Jack Burton.
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*WhoWantsToLiveForever: A rare villain version in Lo Pan who wants to end his [[FateWorseThanDeath 2,000 years of existence]] [[AndIMustScream living as an immortal "evil dream"]], ironic in that normally one would be an ImmortalitySeeker
* WrongGenreSavvy: JackBurton.Burton thinks he's in a realistic action film, but this is a martial arts film with fantasy elements.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Jack
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* AmericaSavesTheDay: Jack clearly believes in this trope, but it's constantly subverted by the ActionHero role and most of the magical firepower going to Wang Chi and Egg Shen, respectively. Then at the end, Jack pulls out a surprise victory.
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* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
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* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween}} [[Film/{{Halloween 1978}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
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* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem. Thunder doesn't fall for it; instead he plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
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* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem. Thunder doesn't fall for it; instead he plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
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\"failing to fall for it\" is not a subversion. It\'s just the drill not working.
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* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem.
** Which is subverted when Thunder plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
** Which is subverted when Thunder plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
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* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem.
** Which is subverted whenproblem. Thunder doesn't fall for it; instead he plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
** Which is subverted when
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** Which is subverted when Thunder plays along with the ruse long enough to gas them both.
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natter
Changed line(s) 21,22 (click to see context) from:
* AmericaSavesTheDay: Subverted throughout the movie only to be played straight in the final confrontation.
** And, of course, the fact that most of the Chinese characters are ALSO Americans. Wang Chi even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] at the finale.
** And, of course, the fact that most of the Chinese characters are ALSO Americans. Wang Chi even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] at the finale.
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* AmericaSavesTheDay: Subverted throughout Jack clearly believes in this trope, but it's constantly subverted by the movie only to be played straight in the final confrontation.
** And, of course, the fact thatActionHero role and most of the Chinese characters are ALSO Americans. magical firepower going to Wang Chi even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] and Egg Shen, respectively. Then at the finale.end, Jack pulls out a surprise victory.
** And, of course, the fact that
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** And, of course, the fact that most of the Chinese characters are ALSO American. He even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] at the finale.
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** And, of course, the fact that most of the Chinese characters are ALSO American. He Americans. Wang Chi even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] at the finale.
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* {{Badass}}: Jack ''tries''... at least his dialogue is badass.
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* {{Badass}}: Jack ''tries''... and at least his dialogue is badass.badass. Wang Chi, on the other hand, manages to kill a storm demigod in a sword fight after carving through an entire army.
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** And, of course, the fact that most of the Chinese characters are ALSO American. He even proposes [[EagleLand a toast to America]] at the finale.
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* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Jack Burton when punching Rain, one of David Lo Pan's minions. After hitting Rain twice to no effect whatsoever, Jack sort of gives a [[WorthyOpponent respectful nod]] before getting thrown across the room.
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* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Jack Burton when punching Rain, one of David Lo Pan's minions. After hitting Rain twice to no effect whatsoever, Jack sort of gives a [[WorthyOpponent respectful nod]] before getting thrown kicked across the room.
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Changed line(s) 40,41 (click to see context) from:
** "You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
*** "Who?"
*** "Who?"
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** "You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
***this?" To which people respond, "Who?"
***
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* LargeHam: Basically everyone expecially Jack himself. The villains are also this.
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* LargeHam: Basically everyone expecially Several, but especially Jack himself. The villains are also this.and the villains.
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* MindControlEyes: When Gracie Law and Miao Yin are under David Lo Pan's mental control.
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* MindControlEyes: When Gracie Law and Miao Yin are under David Lo Pan's mental control.
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* MundaneSolution: Lightning, the {{Dragon}} who shoots lightning bolts out of his hands, is defeated [[spoiler:by dropping a statue to his head.]]
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* MundaneSolution: Lightning, the {{Dragon}} who shoots lightning bolts out of his hands, is defeated [[spoiler:by dropping a statue to on his head.]]
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* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two women and sacrifice one of them.]]
to:
* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two green-eyed women and sacrifice one of them.]]
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* PortraitPaintingPeephole: The humanoid monster, spying on the heroes from behind the statue.
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* PortraitPaintingPeephole: The humanoid Yeti monster, spying on the heroes from behind the statue.
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* ARealManIsAKiller: In one scene Jack is embarassed by having killed someone only for the first time and lies about it so as not to appear dorky to his male friends, who obviously aren't killers any more than he is.
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* ARealManIsAKiller: In one scene Jack is embarassed embarrassed by having killed someone only for the first time and lies about it so as not to appear dorky to his male friends, who obviously aren't killers any more than he is.
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* SunglassesAtNight: Not exactly night, but barely an hour before it, we see Jack Burton at the start of the film, driving a truck with sunglasses on well after the sun has gone down.
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* SunglassesAtNight: Not exactly night, but barely an hour before it, we see Jack Burton it; at the start of the film, we see Jack Burton driving a truck with sunglasses on well after the sun has gone down.
Changed line(s) 133,134 (click to see context) from:
* ThirdPersonPerson: Jack Burton
* ThroatLight: David Lo Pan
* ThroatLight: David Lo Pan
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* ThirdPersonPerson: Jack Burton
Burton.
* ThroatLight: David LoPanPan.
* ThroatLight: David Lo
Changed line(s) 143 (click to see context) from:
* YouDoNOTWantToKnow: "WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?!"
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* YouDoNOTWantToKnow: "WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?!""WHAT?! ''WHAT'' will come out no more?!"
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->"All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with ''light'' coming out of his mouth!"
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->"All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are [[{{Wuxia}} flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, shreds]], and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with ''light'' coming out of his mouth!"
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A World Wide Punomenon cleanup. Incredibly Lame Pun is the pothole magnet; World Of Pun is for worlds that use many puns
Changed line(s) 88 (click to see context) from:
* IntimidationDemonstration: When the Three Storms first appear to break up the fight between the Chang Sings and the Wing Kong, they give a display of martial arts skills to intimidate the gangs. One of the Storms, Lightning, adds a display of his electrical powers for extra [[AWorldwidePunomenon shock value]]. You can watch the sequence [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGLinT-Pdyo#t=3m40s here]].
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* IntimidationDemonstration: When the Three Storms first appear to break up the fight between the Chang Sings and the Wing Kong, they give a display of martial arts skills to intimidate the gangs. One of the Storms, Lightning, adds a display of his electrical powers for extra [[AWorldwidePunomenon [[IncrediblyLamePun shock value]]. You can watch the sequence [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGLinT-Pdyo#t=3m40s here]].
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No. It\'s not used enigmatically in the film, and the film is not an arc story. This is a catchphrase, and listed as such below already.
Deleted line(s) 23 (click to see context) :
* ArcWords: "It's all in the reflexes."
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[[quoteright:292:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big-trouble-in-little-china.jpg]]
->"All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with ''light'' coming out of his mouth!"
-->-- '''Jack Burton'''
One of JohnCarpenter's greatest films, written by J.D. Richter and released in 1986.
KurtRussell is Jack Burton, a long-haul trucker with a penchant for making soliloquies over the CB. He's in Chinatown to meet his buddy Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) and pick up Wang's fiancee Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) from the airport, but David Lo Pan (James Hong) kidnaps her with the help of his Wing Kong street gang and the Three Storms.
Jack, Wang, lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), tour bus driver Egg Shen (Victor Wong), and the Chang Sing street gang join forces to rescue Miao Yin from the deathless Lo Pan, but Jack's really in it to get his truck back.
Subverts a few tropes of the action hero genre. Most notably, as stated by both Carpenter and Russell in the DVD commentary: "This is a movie about a guy who [[WrongGenreSavvy thinks he's the]] ActionHero when he's really the [[PluckyComicRelief comic sidekick]]."
Don't confuse this with ''{{Chinatown}}''. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity]] will ''not'' ensue.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* ActionSurvivor: Jack Burton
* AffectionateParody
* AirJousting: Wang Chi and Rain in an aerial sword duel.
* AmericaSavesTheDay: Subverted throughout the movie only to be played straight in the final confrontation.
* AndNowYouMustMarryMe
* ArcWords: "It's all in the reflexes."
* AttackReflector: Egg Shen uses a mirrored fan to send Lightning's lightning bolt attack back at him.
* AudienceSurrogate: Jack Burton.
* BackToBackBadasses: Subverted. Jack is so tense he accidentally throws his knife into a corner, and the fight is over by the time he gets back.
* {{Badass}}: Jack ''tries''... at least his dialogue is badass.
* BalloonBelly: Thunder, when he inflates himself with air.
* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem.
* BeamOWar: Lo Pan and Egg Shen duel in this way. The two beams, upon colliding, take the shape of dueling swordsmen. And then they twiddle their fingers like they're using video game controllers to direct the swordsmen.
* BigBad: David Lo Pan
* BodyHorror: Thunder when he inflates himself to huge size and explodes.
** Also Lo Pan's sentry, which bears a striking resemblance to a [[DungeonsAndDragons beholder.]]
* BoundAndGagged: Gracie Law and Miao Yin.
* BreathWeapon: David Lo Pan fires a blinding magical blast of light from his mouth.
* BringIt: David Lo Pan does this to Jack Burton (using his index finger) as Burton is driving his truck toward him.
* CallBack: The phrase "Cops got better things to do than get killed." is spoken twice by different characters.
* CatchAndReturn: Jack Burton after David Lo Pan throws his knife back at him.
* CatchPhrase: Jack uses several.
** "It's all in the reflexes," which serves triple duty as a ChekhovsGun and a PostMortemOneLiner.
** "You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
* TheCavalryArrivesLate
* ChekhovsSkill: Jack's knife trick.
* CommonEyeColors: BigBad David Lo Pan has to sacrifice a woman with green eyes to become whole again.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted
* CoveredInKisses: And as a result, Jack has Gracie's lipstick smeared on his mouth when he's facing Lo Pan.
* CurbStompBattle: Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan
* CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: Jack Burton
* CuttingTheKnot: In order to get into an elevator, Jack Burton hauls out a knife and cuts through the wall to get in, which works because the wall is made of paper.
* DecoyProtagonist
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Jack Burton declines to stay with Gracie Law at the end of the movie.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Justified, as the heroes deliberately wait until after Lo Pan is married to fight him because he'll be mortal afterwards.
* DivingSave: After kidnapping Miao Yin, the Lords of Death are escaping in a car. Jack Burton pulls a frozen Wang Chi out of the way of the oncoming car.
* DragonTheirFeet: Two of Lo Pan's Dragons die after he does.
* DrowningPit: The elevator in Lo Pan's lair.
* ElementalEmbodiment: Thunder, Lighting and Rain.
* TheEndOrIsIt: As Jack Burton drives off, we see that one of David Lo Pan's monsters is hitching a ride under his truck.
* EvilCripple: Lo Pan in his "old man" form, restricted to a wheelchair.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Egg Shen invokes this trope when he and Jack are beneath Chinatown.
-->'''Jack:''' That is ''not'' water.\\
'''Egg:''' Black blood of the earth.\\
'''Jack:''' What, you mean oil?\\
'''Egg:''' I mean black blood of the earth!
* ExecutiveMeddling: The first scene was added later at the insistence of Studio Executives who just didn't get the SupportingProtagonist story line.
* EyeScream: Averted with Lo Pan's sentry monster. Despite being nearly made of eyes, it dies due to a precision sword strike between them.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Lo Pan's spherical spy monster has eyes on stalks, on its back, and even one in its mouth.
* FemmeFatalons: David Lo Pan can grow these at will.
* FingerSnapLighter
* FiringInTheAirALot: Jack tries it and RealityEnsues, with bits of the ceiling falling on his head and knocking him out.
* FriendlyLocalChinatown
* GoodHairEvilHair: David Lo Pan's long wispy beard definitely qualifies as Evil Hair.
* GreenEyes: Gracie Law and Miao Yin
* GroinAttack: Gracie Law to Lo Pan's humanoid monster when it grabs Jack Burton.
* HandWave: One of the classics. When Jack asks Egg Shen how he managed to get up above them, Egg replies, "Wasn't easy!"
* {{Hellevator}}: How does it know which way to go without anyone pressing buttons? Ancient Chinese secret.
* HeroBall: Jack and Wang juggle it. Wang is more martially competent and [[IHaveYourWife properly motivated]]; but Jack is the one who comes up with the ideas and keeps saving everyone else's life.
* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton.
* HeyCatch: Jack Burton says "It's all in the reflexes".
* HookedUpAfterwards: Margo invites Eddie over to her apartment in a very seductive way.
* HowWeGotHere: The film opens with a lawyer asking Egg Shen to explain what exactly went down in Chinatown. While the film does explain what went down, it ''doesn't'' explain what led to the conversation with the lawyer (who never appears outside the opening scene).
* HumbleGoal: All Jack really wants is to get his truck back.
* [[IfIDoNotReturn If I Don't Come Back]]:...
--> '''Jack:''' (wink) call the President.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: David Lo Pan with Gracie Law and Miao Yin.
* IndecisiveParody
* IntrepidReporter: Margo ''wants'' to be one.
-->'''Margo:''' "I feel like I'm in over my head."\\
'''Eddie:''' [kindly] "You are."
* IntimidationDemonstration: When the Three Storms first appear to break up the fight between the Chang Sings and the Wing Kong, they give a display of martial arts skills to intimidate the gangs. One of the Storms, Lightning, adds a display of his electrical powers for extra [[AWorldwidePunomenon shock value]]. You can watch the sequence [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGLinT-Pdyo#t=3m40s here]].
* JugglingLoadedGuns: Just before the climactic battle, Jack Burton attempts to lead the charge of TheCavalry by shooting upwards dramatically. A chunk of the ceiling lands on his head for his effort, and puts him out of commission until the fight is well underway.
* LargeHam: Basically everyone expecially Jack himself. The villains are also this.
* LawOfInverseRecoil: Subversion when Jack fires a machine pistol on full automatic.
* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
* LoadBearingBoss: When Jack finally defeats Lo Pan, his lair starts to fall apart.
* MeaningfulName: Gracie Law is a lawyer.
* MeLoveYouLongTime: Inverted -- see HookedUpAfterwards.
* MightyWhitey: Subverted. While Jack Burton acts like he's the lantern-jawed, All-American hero of the story, he's actually the side-kick of his more capable Chinese-American friend Wang Chi.
* MindControlEyes: When Gracie Law and Miao Yin are under David Lo Pan's mental control.
* MirrorsReflectEverything: Egg Shen uses this when Lightning fires some, well, lightning at him. His mirror? A Chinese fan that looks like it's made of aluminum foil.
* {{Mook}}s: David Lo Pan's street gang
* MrExposition: Margo Litzenberger, about David Lo Pan.
* MundaneSolution: Lightning, the {{Dragon}} who shoots lightning bolts out of his hands, is defeated [[spoiler:by dropping a statue to his head.]]
* NeckLift: Thunder does this to Wang Chi when Wang and Jack attack him.
* NiceHat: Lo Pan has an ''extremely'' nice hat.
* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two women and sacrifice one of them.]]
* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont
* {{Oculothorax}}: A Beholder-like monster shows up, to Jack's horror. "What it sees, Lo Pan sees." Naturally, he tries shooting it.
* OhCrap: Jack and company after the knife he throws at Lo Pan misses.
* OpenTheDoorAndSeeAllThePeople: Jack Burton opens a door and sees a mob of angry-looking mooks on the other side.
* PGExplosives: The explosives that Egg Shen uses to blow up multiple {{Mook}}s.
* PluckyComicRelief: Jack Burton, even though he's supposed to be TheHero.
* PopGoesTheHuman: [[spoiler: Thunder's demise. Well, human-shaped anyway.]]
* PortraitPaintingPeephole: The humanoid monster, spying on the heroes from behind the statue.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Multiple subversions by Jack Burton.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Jack Burton when punching Rain, one of David Lo Pan's minions. After hitting Rain twice to no effect whatsoever, Jack sort of gives a [[WorthyOpponent respectful nod]] before getting thrown across the room.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Three Storms.
* ARealManIsAKiller: In one scene Jack is embarassed by having killed someone only for the first time and lies about it so as not to appear dorky to his male friends, who obviously aren't killers any more than he is.
* RidingIntoTheSunset: Name-dropped in the commentary.
* SadlyMythtaken: Much of the movie is only tangentially related to actual Chinese mythology, but the "evil boddhisatva" stands out most.
* ScreamingWarrior: Most of the male characters.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan
* ShockAndAwe: Lightning, one of the Three Storms.
* ShootOutTheLock: Jack Burton shoots off a padlock to free the female captives from their cells in Lo Pan's warehouse.
* SidekickExMachina: Wang Chi
* SmiteMeOhMightySmiter: During Jack's CB soliloquy.
* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Subverted when the heroes must stand by and allow David Lo Pan's wedding to take place so he will become mortal, and thus vulnerable.
* SummonMagic: Egg Shen and Lo Pan conjure huge spirit-warrior figures to duel one another during the wedding-ceremony battle.
* SuperSerum: Egg Shen provides this in the form of a potion that lets one "see things no one else can see, do things no one else can do." It also provides a good buzz.
* SunglassesAtNight: Not exactly night, but barely an hour before it, we see Jack Burton at the start of the film, driving a truck with sunglasses on well after the sun has gone down.
* SupportingProtagonist: As mentioned by WordOfGod.
* TapOnTheHead: Wang and Eddie to several of Lo Pan's guards, and Jack Burton does it to himself.
* TennisBoss: Lo Pan.
* ThemeNaming: The Three Storms: Thunder, Lighting and Rain.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Jack Burton
* ThroatLight: David Lo Pan
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Wang Chi vs. Rain.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: The Wing Kong and Chang Sing street gangs are explicitly referred to as "Fighting Tongs".
* UndersideRide: The ending shows the hero happily driving away, only for a last minute JumpScare revealing a monster hiding under his semi trailer.
* TheUnmasquedWorld: The first scene (which is chronologically the last scene) implies that the outside world noticed the fight with Lo Pan and wants answers.
* WaitHere: Parodied when Jack Burton tells this to several of his {{Sidekick}}s.
* WizardDuel: Egg Shen vs. Lo Pan
* WrongGenreSavvy: Jack Burton.
* YellowPeril: David Lo Pan.
* YouDoNOTWantToKnow: "WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?!"
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->"All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with ''light'' coming out of his mouth!"
-->-- '''Jack Burton'''
One of JohnCarpenter's greatest films, written by J.D. Richter and released in 1986.
KurtRussell is Jack Burton, a long-haul trucker with a penchant for making soliloquies over the CB. He's in Chinatown to meet his buddy Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) and pick up Wang's fiancee Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) from the airport, but David Lo Pan (James Hong) kidnaps her with the help of his Wing Kong street gang and the Three Storms.
Jack, Wang, lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), tour bus driver Egg Shen (Victor Wong), and the Chang Sing street gang join forces to rescue Miao Yin from the deathless Lo Pan, but Jack's really in it to get his truck back.
Subverts a few tropes of the action hero genre. Most notably, as stated by both Carpenter and Russell in the DVD commentary: "This is a movie about a guy who [[WrongGenreSavvy thinks he's the]] ActionHero when he's really the [[PluckyComicRelief comic sidekick]]."
Don't confuse this with ''{{Chinatown}}''. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity]] will ''not'' ensue.
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!!This film provides examples of:
* ActionSurvivor: Jack Burton
* AffectionateParody
* AirJousting: Wang Chi and Rain in an aerial sword duel.
* AmericaSavesTheDay: Subverted throughout the movie only to be played straight in the final confrontation.
* AndNowYouMustMarryMe
* ArcWords: "It's all in the reflexes."
* AttackReflector: Egg Shen uses a mirrored fan to send Lightning's lightning bolt attack back at him.
* AudienceSurrogate: Jack Burton.
* BackToBackBadasses: Subverted. Jack is so tense he accidentally throws his knife into a corner, and the fight is over by the time he gets back.
* {{Badass}}: Jack ''tries''... at least his dialogue is badass.
* BalloonBelly: Thunder, when he inflates himself with air.
* BavarianFireDrill: Jack and Wang bluff their way into the Wing Kong Exchange building by pretending to be telephone repairmen who'd been called in to fix a problem.
* BeamOWar: Lo Pan and Egg Shen duel in this way. The two beams, upon colliding, take the shape of dueling swordsmen. And then they twiddle their fingers like they're using video game controllers to direct the swordsmen.
* BigBad: David Lo Pan
* BodyHorror: Thunder when he inflates himself to huge size and explodes.
** Also Lo Pan's sentry, which bears a striking resemblance to a [[DungeonsAndDragons beholder.]]
* BoundAndGagged: Gracie Law and Miao Yin.
* BreathWeapon: David Lo Pan fires a blinding magical blast of light from his mouth.
* BringIt: David Lo Pan does this to Jack Burton (using his index finger) as Burton is driving his truck toward him.
* CallBack: The phrase "Cops got better things to do than get killed." is spoken twice by different characters.
* CatchAndReturn: Jack Burton after David Lo Pan throws his knife back at him.
* CatchPhrase: Jack uses several.
** "It's all in the reflexes," which serves triple duty as a ChekhovsGun and a PostMortemOneLiner.
** "You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
* TheCavalryArrivesLate
* ChekhovsSkill: Jack's knife trick.
* CommonEyeColors: BigBad David Lo Pan has to sacrifice a woman with green eyes to become whole again.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted
* CoveredInKisses: And as a result, Jack has Gracie's lipstick smeared on his mouth when he's facing Lo Pan.
* CurbStompBattle: Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan
* CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: Jack Burton
* CuttingTheKnot: In order to get into an elevator, Jack Burton hauls out a knife and cuts through the wall to get in, which works because the wall is made of paper.
* DecoyProtagonist
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Jack Burton declines to stay with Gracie Law at the end of the movie.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Justified, as the heroes deliberately wait until after Lo Pan is married to fight him because he'll be mortal afterwards.
* DivingSave: After kidnapping Miao Yin, the Lords of Death are escaping in a car. Jack Burton pulls a frozen Wang Chi out of the way of the oncoming car.
* DragonTheirFeet: Two of Lo Pan's Dragons die after he does.
* DrowningPit: The elevator in Lo Pan's lair.
* ElementalEmbodiment: Thunder, Lighting and Rain.
* TheEndOrIsIt: As Jack Burton drives off, we see that one of David Lo Pan's monsters is hitching a ride under his truck.
* EvilCripple: Lo Pan in his "old man" form, restricted to a wheelchair.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Egg Shen invokes this trope when he and Jack are beneath Chinatown.
-->'''Jack:''' That is ''not'' water.\\
'''Egg:''' Black blood of the earth.\\
'''Jack:''' What, you mean oil?\\
'''Egg:''' I mean black blood of the earth!
* ExecutiveMeddling: The first scene was added later at the insistence of Studio Executives who just didn't get the SupportingProtagonist story line.
* EyeScream: Averted with Lo Pan's sentry monster. Despite being nearly made of eyes, it dies due to a precision sword strike between them.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Lo Pan's spherical spy monster has eyes on stalks, on its back, and even one in its mouth.
* FemmeFatalons: David Lo Pan can grow these at will.
* FingerSnapLighter
* FiringInTheAirALot: Jack tries it and RealityEnsues, with bits of the ceiling falling on his head and knocking him out.
* FriendlyLocalChinatown
* GoodHairEvilHair: David Lo Pan's long wispy beard definitely qualifies as Evil Hair.
* GreenEyes: Gracie Law and Miao Yin
* GroinAttack: Gracie Law to Lo Pan's humanoid monster when it grabs Jack Burton.
* HandWave: One of the classics. When Jack asks Egg Shen how he managed to get up above them, Egg replies, "Wasn't easy!"
* {{Hellevator}}: How does it know which way to go without anyone pressing buttons? Ancient Chinese secret.
* HeroBall: Jack and Wang juggle it. Wang is more martially competent and [[IHaveYourWife properly motivated]]; but Jack is the one who comes up with the ideas and keeps saving everyone else's life.
* HeroTrackingFailure: When the security guards are shooting at Jack Burton.
* HeyCatch: Jack Burton says "It's all in the reflexes".
* HookedUpAfterwards: Margo invites Eddie over to her apartment in a very seductive way.
* HowWeGotHere: The film opens with a lawyer asking Egg Shen to explain what exactly went down in Chinatown. While the film does explain what went down, it ''doesn't'' explain what led to the conversation with the lawyer (who never appears outside the opening scene).
* HumbleGoal: All Jack really wants is to get his truck back.
* [[IfIDoNotReturn If I Don't Come Back]]:...
--> '''Jack:''' (wink) call the President.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: David Lo Pan with Gracie Law and Miao Yin.
* IndecisiveParody
* IntrepidReporter: Margo ''wants'' to be one.
-->'''Margo:''' "I feel like I'm in over my head."\\
'''Eddie:''' [kindly] "You are."
* IntimidationDemonstration: When the Three Storms first appear to break up the fight between the Chang Sings and the Wing Kong, they give a display of martial arts skills to intimidate the gangs. One of the Storms, Lightning, adds a display of his electrical powers for extra [[AWorldwidePunomenon shock value]]. You can watch the sequence [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGLinT-Pdyo#t=3m40s here]].
* JugglingLoadedGuns: Just before the climactic battle, Jack Burton attempts to lead the charge of TheCavalry by shooting upwards dramatically. A chunk of the ceiling lands on his head for his effort, and puts him out of commission until the fight is well underway.
* LargeHam: Basically everyone expecially Jack himself. The villains are also this.
* LawOfInverseRecoil: Subversion when Jack fires a machine pistol on full automatic.
* LighterAndSofter: [[Film/{{Halloween}} Compared]] [[Film/TheThing to]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Carpenters]] [[Film/PrinceOfDarkness other]] [[Film/TheyLive works]].
* LoadBearingBoss: When Jack finally defeats Lo Pan, his lair starts to fall apart.
* MeaningfulName: Gracie Law is a lawyer.
* MeLoveYouLongTime: Inverted -- see HookedUpAfterwards.
* MightyWhitey: Subverted. While Jack Burton acts like he's the lantern-jawed, All-American hero of the story, he's actually the side-kick of his more capable Chinese-American friend Wang Chi.
* MindControlEyes: When Gracie Law and Miao Yin are under David Lo Pan's mental control.
* MirrorsReflectEverything: Egg Shen uses this when Lightning fires some, well, lightning at him. His mirror? A Chinese fan that looks like it's made of aluminum foil.
* {{Mook}}s: David Lo Pan's street gang
* MrExposition: Margo Litzenberger, about David Lo Pan.
* MundaneSolution: Lightning, the {{Dragon}} who shoots lightning bolts out of his hands, is defeated [[spoiler:by dropping a statue to his head.]]
* NeckLift: Thunder does this to Wang Chi when Wang and Jack attack him.
* NiceHat: Lo Pan has an ''extremely'' nice hat.
* NoManOfWomanBorn: Lo Pan has to marry and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to return to human form, but he has to stay married to one in order to regain his full power. The solution: [[TenchiSolution Marry two women and sacrifice one of them.]]
* NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont
* {{Oculothorax}}: A Beholder-like monster shows up, to Jack's horror. "What it sees, Lo Pan sees." Naturally, he tries shooting it.
* OhCrap: Jack and company after the knife he throws at Lo Pan misses.
* OpenTheDoorAndSeeAllThePeople: Jack Burton opens a door and sees a mob of angry-looking mooks on the other side.
* PGExplosives: The explosives that Egg Shen uses to blow up multiple {{Mook}}s.
* PluckyComicRelief: Jack Burton, even though he's supposed to be TheHero.
* PopGoesTheHuman: [[spoiler: Thunder's demise. Well, human-shaped anyway.]]
* PortraitPaintingPeephole: The humanoid monster, spying on the heroes from behind the statue.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Multiple subversions by Jack Burton.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Jack Burton when punching Rain, one of David Lo Pan's minions. After hitting Rain twice to no effect whatsoever, Jack sort of gives a [[WorthyOpponent respectful nod]] before getting thrown across the room.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Three Storms.
* ARealManIsAKiller: In one scene Jack is embarassed by having killed someone only for the first time and lies about it so as not to appear dorky to his male friends, who obviously aren't killers any more than he is.
* RidingIntoTheSunset: Name-dropped in the commentary.
* SadlyMythtaken: Much of the movie is only tangentially related to actual Chinese mythology, but the "evil boddhisatva" stands out most.
* ScreamingWarrior: Most of the male characters.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan
* ShockAndAwe: Lightning, one of the Three Storms.
* ShootOutTheLock: Jack Burton shoots off a padlock to free the female captives from their cells in Lo Pan's warehouse.
* SidekickExMachina: Wang Chi
* SmiteMeOhMightySmiter: During Jack's CB soliloquy.
* SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace: Subverted when the heroes must stand by and allow David Lo Pan's wedding to take place so he will become mortal, and thus vulnerable.
* SummonMagic: Egg Shen and Lo Pan conjure huge spirit-warrior figures to duel one another during the wedding-ceremony battle.
* SuperSerum: Egg Shen provides this in the form of a potion that lets one "see things no one else can see, do things no one else can do." It also provides a good buzz.
* SunglassesAtNight: Not exactly night, but barely an hour before it, we see Jack Burton at the start of the film, driving a truck with sunglasses on well after the sun has gone down.
* SupportingProtagonist: As mentioned by WordOfGod.
* TapOnTheHead: Wang and Eddie to several of Lo Pan's guards, and Jack Burton does it to himself.
* TennisBoss: Lo Pan.
* ThemeNaming: The Three Storms: Thunder, Lighting and Rain.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Jack Burton
* ThroatLight: David Lo Pan
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Wang Chi vs. Rain.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: The Wing Kong and Chang Sing street gangs are explicitly referred to as "Fighting Tongs".
* UndersideRide: The ending shows the hero happily driving away, only for a last minute JumpScare revealing a monster hiding under his semi trailer.
* TheUnmasquedWorld: The first scene (which is chronologically the last scene) implies that the outside world noticed the fight with Lo Pan and wants answers.
* WaitHere: Parodied when Jack Burton tells this to several of his {{Sidekick}}s.
* WizardDuel: Egg Shen vs. Lo Pan
* WrongGenreSavvy: Jack Burton.
* YellowPeril: David Lo Pan.
* YouDoNOTWantToKnow: "WHAT WILL COME OUT NO MORE?!"
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