On G List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
The Golden Child (1986)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
2/05, 1/25
1/25:
Axel Foley meets the Dalai Lama.
It's easy to be fooled into thinking that The Golden Child would be as good as the first two parts
of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and
Coming to America
because of Eddie Murphy. But the truth is: the film exposed him badly as a non-comedian with
nothing more than just a smile and teeth.
I don't understand the presence of Charlotte Lewis as Kee Nang. If she can do all the awesome things in
battle with the bad guys and is a Tibetan, then why isn't she the "chosen one"? What's wrong with making her
the centerpiece of the show? Oh, right...Eddie Murphy is a big moneymaker, and that shan't be messed with. My
bad. Here's a fun fact: the actor who played the little kid is actually a "she," hence the intended initials
in her name, J. L. Reate, which stands for Jasmine Lauren.
The biggest issue is the editing. It's simply awful because of the sharp cuts. When things
are slow, they're not noticeable, but when action happens, everything has to be so fast that it's
hard to absorb what's going on in a fluid manner, making for a disorientating viewing.
However, the special effects are okay, and Charles Dance, the only strong actor of the cast, does
what he can. The script doesn't bother me. It's just that whenever Eddie Murphy has
a chance to make a wisecrack, he isn't funny. Yet he continues to do it. Has anybody
tested the film and then told Paramount, "Hey guys...um, nobody is laughing"? Of course, the movie was
released anyway and made bank; that's all it matters.
All in all, Eddie Murphy admitted later that The Golden Child was a "piece of shit," and I concur with him.