Michael Ritchie directs Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance and Charlotte Lewis in this oriental flavoured action comedy where a private detective specializing in missing children is charged with the task of finding a mystical kid whom dark forces want to eliminate.

Maybe a little too gentle and laid back. There are scenes where Eddie has a cheeky riff but we aren’t seeing his trademark motormouth awesomeness that often . There is action but it isn’t very memorable. There are special FX but they don’t dominate. With everything entertaining so dialled back it is hard to tell what the movie ultimately wants to be. Fills a Sunday afternoon nicely but the bar was very high at this point in Murphy’s career ascendancy.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Big Trouble In Little China (1986)