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(1986) |
his movie is just the sort of 'guaranteed' hit that defies studio logic and fails almost just to spite the filmmakers.
Made by Paramount pictures it starring the seemingly unstoppable Eddie Murphy, who had just made a pile of money for the studio with "48 Hours" and "Beverly Hills Cop".
Obviously expensively made, the movie seems to have all the right ingredients for a big hit but fails to satisfy and although moderately successful was, I'm sure, a bit of a financial disappointment for the studio, who were hoping for another Murphy 'cash cow' to fill the coffers with lots of $$$.
And that's probably the root of the problem. Despite a reasonable story, script and good special effects, the movie just 'feels' a little clinical. Murphy has a bunch of funny set pieces which he clearly enjoys and we enjoy... but in between seems a little unispired somehow. Maybe the predictability of the story has a lot to do with it. Another possibility is that the movie was originally intended to be a more serious action piece, but was hastily rewritten to provide Murphy with the scope to do what he does best, with the end result an unsuccessful mixture of the two... in any case the plot unwinds quite predictably -there are very few suprises to be had here folks...
Charles Dance provides a good, but not perfect, villain as "Sardo Numspa" ("Brother Numpsey" to Eddie!) and Charlotte Lewis provides the stunning but surly love interest of the piece.
Still it is an 80's film and the music and filmmaking are all perfect examples of the genre...
 Don't forget that The Golden Child is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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A slightly disappointing example of Eddie Murphy's work. Still very funny though.
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Veteran Director Michael Ritchie also directed the hilarious "Fletch" and "Fletch Lives". 
Eddie Murphy was originally supposed to have starred in "Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home", instead of Catherine Hicks. Murphy was supposed to be a professor concerned with UFO's who spots the de-cloaking Klingon ship at the Super Bowl. Apparently, everyone else was to be convinced the ship is a half-time special effect while Murphy believed it was real. Paramount declined this script for two reasons: firstly, they didn't want to combine their two most profitable franchises ("Star Trek" and "Beverly Hills Cop"), and whilst deciding on their plans, Murphy had signed on to do "The Golden Child" instead. -Thanks to Paul Shrimpton
The knife that Eddie is after looks exactly like the knife that was later used in the movie The Shadow. -Thanks to Rachel Pounds
You can also catch actor "Charles Dance" as Sigourney Weaver's character Lt. Ripley's love interest in Alien 3 as the Physician in the movie. But sadly his character becomes one of the victims later in the film. -Thanks to BEL
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Rediscover your favorites! If you like
The Golden Child or 80's Action classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Angel ..... Raiders of the Lost Ark ..... Beverly Hills Cop ..... Die Hard ..... Predator ..... Terminator ..... Black Rain ..... 48 HRS ..... Untouchables ..... Lethal Weapon ..... Rocky IV ..... Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior ..... Top Gun ..... Highlander ..... Streets Of Fire ..... Commando .....[More]
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Visual effects were by George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, with demons being "go motion" animated by Phil Tippett, who also did the Tauntauns and Walkers in "The Empire Strikes Back". Effects were supervised by Ken Ralston also of "Star Wars" fame.
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|  |  |  | | The Golden Child
Locations |
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On location shooting was genuinely filmed in Nepal as well as Los Angeles.
The school campus where eddie murphy is walking through the basketball courts is located in chinatown just north of downtown Los Angeles. [Thanks to Mike Flores]
Can you help? Do you know any of the Los Angeles, S. California filming locations used for The Golden Child? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Trailer |
| Our
Comments: Great Pic & Sound |
| | | | Trailer |
| Our
Comments: Great Pic & Sound |
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Michel Columbier, Robbie Buchanan and Al Woodbury scored the movie with several pop tracks written by John Barry.
The soundtrack was originally available on CD on the Capitol Label and included the title song "Best Man In The World" by John Barry and performed by "Heart" lead singer Ann Wilson.
It is now out of print and is getting a little harder to find. Use our search feature.
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Soundtrack Available:
Used On CD
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