Somehow Road House had a baby with the very campiest of 1960s Hong Kong, and John Carpenter signed on to direct (plus compose the soundtrack). Wildly entertaining, and self-aware enough to embrace the sheer lunacy of mysically-powered gang warfare amidst the nooks and crannies of Chinatown, it's no wonder this would become such a cult classic.

Kurt Russel is dead-perfect as Jack Burton, the brash, headstrong, somewhat confused would-be hero who doesn't realize he's actually the sidekick. As one might expect, things get carried away somewhere between the first trap elevator and the second (must've been a deal at the villainous super-mart this week) but that's actually for the best: Big Trouble is most in its element when it casts aside mere storyline concerns, flies off the handle and embraces its ridiculous side.

The plot is simplistic and the fight scenes aren't all that great - too many jump cuts and blunt-handed effects - but the mood is a direct hit and it's certainly never tame. When it comes to the final confrontation, it's more about quick reflexes than martial arts anyway. A board-dumb classic of the bombastic '80s action scene, and one of my favorite empty climaxes ever. Here's hoping Hollywood understands what made it work so well when they push out the impending remake.