The Golden Child

The Golden Child
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Ritchie
Produced by	Edward S. Feldman Robert D. Wachs
Written by	Dennis Feldman
Starring	Eddie Murphy Charles Dance Charlotte Lewis Victor Wong Randall "Tex" Cobb James Hong
Music by	Michel Colombier John Barry ("Wisdom of the Ages")
Cinematography	Donald E. Thorin
Editing by	Richard A. Harris
Studio	F/M Entertainment Eddie Murphy Productions, Inc. Paramount Pictures Industrial Light & Magic
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	December 12, 1986
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$79,817,937 (USA)

The Golden Child is a 1986 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who is confronted by a young Asian woman (Charlotte Lewis), who tells him that he is The Chosen One destined to save The Golden Child, the savior of all mankind, from the clutches of the demon Sardo Numspa, played by Charles Dance. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie for Paramount Pictures.

Plot

In a temple in an unknown location in Tibet, a young boy with mystical abilities — the Golden Child — receives badges of station and demonstrates his power to the monks of the temple by reviving a dead bird, which is to become a constant companion. However, a band of villains led by a mysterious man (Sardo Numspa) breaks into the hidden temple, slaughters the monks and takes the boy away.

Some time afterwards, a young woman named Kee Nang watches a Los Angeles TV show in which social worker Chandler Jarrell talks about his latest case, a missing girl named Cheryll Mosley. She seeks him out the next day and informs him of the kidnapping of the Golden Child and that he is the 'Chosen One' who would save the Child. Chandler does not take this seriously, even after the appearance of the astral form of the Child and his bird familiar following him everywhere he goes.

Soon Cheryll Mosley is found, dead from loss of blood, near an abandoned house smeared with Tibetan graffiti and a pot full of blood-soaked oatmeal. Kee Nang reveals to him that this house was a holding place for the Child and brings Chandler in contact with Doctor Hong, a mystic expert, and Kala (a creature half dragon, half woman, who remains hidden behind a screen). Together they track down a motorcycle gang called the Yellow Dragons, which Cheryll had joined, and then the Chinese restaurant owner Tommy Tong, a henchman of Numspa, to whom Cheryll had been 'sold' for her blood, which was to be used to make the Child vulnerable to earthly harm; Tong, however, is killed by Numspa as a potential traitor. Still not taking the case too seriously, Chandler is drawn by Numspa—whom Chandler begins to continuously call "Numsy"—into a controlled dream, where he receives a burn mark on his arm. Numpspa also presents his demands: the Ajanti Dagger (a mystic weapon which is capable of killing the Golden Child) in exchange for the boy. Chandler finally agrees to help, and he and Kee Nang spend the night together.

Chandler and Kee travel to Tibet, where Chandler is apparently swindled by an old amulet seller, who later turns out to be the High Priest of the temple where the dagger is kept hidden and, subsequently, Kee's father (Chandler calls him "Monty Hall" or "Monty"). In order to obtain the blade, Chandler has to pass a test: an obstacle course in a bottomless cavern whilst carrying a glass of water without spilling even one drop. With luck and wits, Chandler recovers the blade and even manages to bring it past customs into the United States.

At their hideout, however, Numspa and his henchmen attack them. The Ajanti Dagger is lost to the villains, and Kee sacrifices her life for Chandler, taking a crossbow bolt meant for him, and dies in his arms confessing her love for him. Doctor Hong and Kala offers him hope, for as long as the sun shines upon Kee, the Child might be able to save her yet. Driven now by a personal motive, Chandler — with the help of the Child's familiar — locates Numspa's hideout, retrieves the dagger, fights past the guards with the help of Til, one of Numspa's men converted to good by the Child, and frees the boy. But when Chandler attempts to confront Numspa, the latter reveals his true face as a demon from hell. Chandler and the Child escape the hideout, only to be tracked down by the demon. After some narrow escapes, Chandler and the Child seek shelter in an old abandoned industrial warehouse, but seconds later, Sardo is back on top of them, wrecking the warehouse and fighting Chandler. When the warehouse collapses, Chandler loses the dagger, but Sardo is buried under a chunk of falling masonry, allowing Chandler and the Child to escape again and head over to Doctor Hong's shop where Kee is being kept.

As the two approach Kee's body, a badly injured but berserk Numspa appears with the dagger in his hand, but his attempt to kill Chandler with it is foiled by the amulet the Old Man had sold him, which blasts the dagger from Numspa's hand. The Child uses his magic to place the dagger back into Chandler's hands, and Chandler pierces Numspa through the heart with it, destroying him. The Child then uses the last ray of sunlight and his powers to bring Kee back from the dead. As the movie ends, the three take a walk discussing the Child's return to Tibet and (as Chandler jokingly suggests) the boy's prospective fame as a stage magician.

Cast

• Chandler Jarrell – Eddie Murphy
• The Golden Child – J.L Reate
• Sardo Numspa – Charles Dance
• Kee Nang – Charlotte Lewis
• "Monty Hall" The Old Man – Victor Wong
• Til – Randall "Tex" Cobb
• Doctor Hong – James Hong
• Kala – Shakti Chen
• Yu – Tau Logo
• Khan – Tiger Chung Lee
• Fu – Pons Maar
• Tommy Tong – Peter Kwong
• Detective Boggs – Wally Taylor
• Yellow Dragon – Eric Douglas
• TV Host – Charles Levin
• The Thing – Frank Welker (voice)

Production details

Although the character of The Golden Child is a boy (and referred to as one throughout the movie), the part was played by a girl (Jasmine Reate, credited as "J.L. Reate" ).

John Carpenter was at one point attached to direct, but ultimately dropped out. He would later direct Big Trouble in Little China, a film with similar Chinese mysticism themes which was initially set to be released in the same time frame as this film.

Actor Mel Gibson was also originally slated to play the role of Chandler Jarrell. When Gibson was unavailable, the producers selected Murphy, and changed the movie from a serious adventure drama to a comedy.

Gene LeBell makes a small, cameo appearance as a drunk member of the Yellow Dragons biker gang.

Music

The music score(s)

The Golden Child: Music from the Motion Picture
Film score by John Barry, Michel Colombier, and others
Released	July 12, 2011
Recorded	1986
Genre	Symphonic score, synth-pop/orchestral score, R & B, soft rock, classic rock
Length	2:45:38
Label	La-La Land Records/Capitol Records
Producer	Lukas Kendall

John Barry was originally commissioned by Paramount to compose and record a complete score after Alan Silvestri (Back to The Future) originally turned the project down. However, during post-production, Barry left the project when differences with the producers and reaction to test screenings dictated that Barry's score be replaced with a mostly synth-pop/orchestral score by Michel Colombier (almost similar to what happened with Jerry Goldsmith's score for Legend--in fact, a subtle reference to Ridley Scott's film can be seen during Chandler's dream sequence). Despite the musical change, some Barry cues remain in the final film, and one track, "Wisdom of the Ages," appeared on the first soundtrack issue by Capitol Records.

In 2011, La-La Land Records released a limited edition 3-CD soundtrack set containing the entirety of both Barry's mostly rejected music and Colombier's final score, plus a never-before released Barry-composed song sung by up-and-coming composer Randy Edelman (Kindergarten Cop), in addition to the songs from and inspired by the film that had previously been released on Capitol's first soundtrack in 1986.

Soundtrack

Aside from Colombier's score, here are the few songs and source material actually heard in the final film:

• Ann Wilson - "The Best Man in the World" (Music by John Barry, lyrics by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson & Sue Ennis)
• Ratt - "Body Talk" (By Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini & Juan Croucier)
• "Wisdom of the Ages" (Composed and Conducted by John Barry)
• "The Chosen One" (By Michel Colombier), performed by Robbie Buchanan
• "Puttin' on the Ritz" (By Irving Berlin)
• "Another Day's Life" (By David Wheatley)

Reception

Released in December 1986, The Golden Child was a box office success. It took in $79,817,937 in the U.S. alone, making it the eighth biggest film of the year. However, the film was considered a disappointment by the studio when compared to Murphy's previous film, Beverly Hills Cop, which garnered $234,760,478 at the U.S. box office.

External links

• The Golden Child at the Internet Movie Database
• The Golden Child at AllRovi