User reviews

By all means this is not Eddie Murphy's best film, like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours and Trading Places, but he has also done worse, Norbit anyone? But it is one of his most underrated films, perhaps even THE most underrated. By all means it is not perfect, as the story does have its silly and predictable moments, one or two parts in the middle half sag a tad in the pacing and the effects do seem creaky by today's standards, but it is not flat and unfunny like critics make it out to be and although I make every effort not to take IMDb ratings to heart I do think the rating is a disgrace for this film. The Golden Child may be flawed, but it also has its strengths, such as Eddie Murphy's charming performance, funny and smart script(or so I think), a fun performance from Charles Dance, decent direction and agreeable soundtrack. So overall, while it mayn't be to everybody's tastes, I do suggest you at least give The Golden Child a fair chance before judging it so harshly. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Whenever I see most reviews it's called 'a misfire for Eddie Murphy'. These critics want to take a look at some of the stuff he's doing these days, and maybe soften their stance in retrospect... "The Golden Child" is not highbrow entertainment, but thanks to some of the cast it breathes new life into old clichés, and gives Murphy one of his best roles. I don't understand the pervading lack of 'love' for its efforts, at all. Perhaps it was released at a time when the establishment had grown weary of knockabout, thrill-a-minute adventures? Steven Spielberg started it with Indiana Jones; it's unfair to make this one a scapegoat when what is possibly its biggest sin is also utterly harmless. There's nothing necessarily wrong with trying to capitalise on trends.

Yes it's silly, but even an occasional observer should be able to understand that 'ridiculous' is where Hollywood's idea of mysticism begins and ends. What's more important than believability with a story like this is that the audience have entertaining tour guides on hand to show them the mysterious sights. Michael Ritchie and Eddie Murphy fit the bill for this capacity just fine. My advice to you is to buy the ticket and take the ride.

I saw this movie available on Netflix and was interested in the premise. You have Eddie Murphy who plays a private detective that specializes in finding missing children. He is told he is the "chosen one" and must protect the "Golden Child" who was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. I didn't know exactly what to expect. Eddie Murphy is known for doing a lot of action or comedy movies. This movie ends up being a mix of action, comedy and fantasy.

Some people will mention this movie was a low point in his career. Well this movie earned close to 80 million dollars. Eddie Murphy has done some more recent movies that have done far worse. There are a lot of funny parts in this movie. I really enjoyed this movie. This was a fun movie to watch.

Somewhat underrated Eddie Murphy movie with Eddie playing an American social worker recruited by a Tibetan woman to help rescue a kidnapped boy with special powers called the "Golden Child." I remember when this came out it wasn't met with a warm reception, from the critics or myself. In part I think because it wasn't a straight comedy like myself and others had come to expect from Eddie. But also because it wasn't as good as the similar Big Trouble in Little China, which came out the same year. Ironically, this was a bigger box office hit than Big Trouble but the latter has gone on to deservedly earn a cult fandom while Golden Child still has a mixed reputation at best.

Eddie Murphy is pretty good here and seems to be having a fun time. Charlotte Lewis is fine, performance-wise and looks-wise. Charles Dance is an enjoyable villain. The scene stealer here is Victor Wong, who was also in Big Trouble in Little China. The special effects are charming in that special way '80s effects often were. Love the Pepsi can dance scene. Some cheesy stuff in this movie for sure but, for the most part, it's pretty entertaining. If you like '80s movies you should find something to like with this. It's got action, comedy, and a little bit of fantasy all mixed together. It's not what I would call a classic but it is fun.

I'd seen parts of this movie on cable some years ago but never got around to watching it until recently. Now normally I'm not big on Eddie Murphy films (though I enjoyed Shrek), but this is the rare exception. It's got Asian mysticism and action with adventure. A chosen one versus a cult bent on their own agenda. What more do you want? If it's deep thought you're after, you won't find it here. But if you wanted a good action comedy, this is it!

When the only truly pure being on Earth is taken by a Demon and his bizarre, circus freak troupe of minions from the holy place where he is being raised who you gonna call? In this case Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy), a private investigator who focuses on locating missing children while wearing ridiculous hats.

But Chandler sez "No" when initially asked by the exotic-hot Kee, who is working on behalf of the Tibetan forces of good - some business card that would be.

"No matter", she replies, "You are already on the case". So Na-Na to you Mr Jarrell.

Jarrell is fast talking, hip, and irreverent but well meaning - in other words everything that summed up Eddie Murphy in his "relevant" phase, which ended around the release of Boomerang when Murphy got all serious and introspective and sh*t.

Kee on the other hand is poised, deliberate, sombre and calm, but surprisingly well equipped at unexpected times - and I'm not just referring to the scene where she gets her white blouse soaked for no good reason... well two good reasons.

After the two team up the trail takes them to the lair of a bikie gang, then Chinatown where they meet Kala the Oracle (of sorts) who informs Chandler of the magnitude of his quest - being that he is the Chosen One after all...

Chandler also learns that the Golden Child is a once in a thousand generations birth, born specifically to rescue humanity, capable of restoring life with a touch, wise beyond reason and with the ability to make a Pepsi can dance to classic 1950s songs...

So there's that.

There is a cool oddball dream sequence and a trip to Tibet to obtain the sacred dagger that can free the imprisoned Golden Child, and a pretty hilarious scene where Chandler and Kee have to bluff the airport security to escape from Tibet.

When finally meets his nemesis Sardo Numspaa (Charles Dance) formally to discuss the dagger for child swap things heat up, before a good quickie 80s finale in which everything builds to a crescendo, the figureheads of good and evil have a showdown and all is resolved in about 6 minutes.

Perhaps The Golden Child doesn't move quite as fast as films do today and the FX - which were pretty cool in the 80s - don't hold up quite so well now, it is fun and enjoyable while it lasts and also has a few quotables, including "One of her ancestors was raped by a dragon", which is a line you don't hear every day.

Final Rating - 6.5 / 10. Not often listed among Eddie Murphy's highlights, but The Golden Child is a very solid and worthwhile - if a little dated - relic from the 80s.

I own this title and I think that it should have been strictly a serious type movie but with Eddie Murphy there had to be the occasional crack of a joke. Overall though, it is a fine movie for people of all ages.

A magic-fuelled '80s comedy/adventure hybrid that occupies the same sub-genre as BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and THE LAST DRAGON. THE GOLDEN CHILD is less spectacular than both of those films – it has fewer special effects than the first and no martial arts like the second – but it proves to be a likable enough film boasting a strong comic turn from Eddie Murphy before he stopped making films for adults.

The story, as it reads, is exceptionally lightweight: Murphy is, for some inexplicable reason, the 'Chosen One' and his job is to rescue the 'Golden Child' from the clutches of evil, personified by Charles Dance in one of those stock British villain-type roles that Hollywood seem to love. There's a magic dagger, an interlude in Tibet and some magical adventures involving the cute shaven-headed kid, but for the most part this is a vehicle for Murphy to show off his comic abilities and he does that admirably.

The movie boasts a rare performance from Charlotte Lewis, a poor actress but quite lovely to watch on screen. There are also two supporting roles for familiar Asian actors in Hollywood, James Hong and Victor Wong, the latter giving a particularly funny turn as a mad mystic. Watch out for Randall "Tex" Cobb, almost unrecognisable beneath Klingon makeup. The special effects have badly dated since the film's initial release, but in a good way: I admit I got a kick out of seeing the various magic bolts, mysterious creatures and climatic scenes involving a demon attack (the demon, incidentally, looks just like the one at the very end of EVIL DEAD 2). THE GOLDEN CHILD is no great shakes but fans of 1980s should nevertheless enjoy it.

Like most people, I enjoyed Eddie Murphy in the 1980s with the humorous, wild movies he made. Many of the characters he played were similar: wisecracking, loud, funny and obnoxious. This is one of the wilder stories he was involved with with a very good mixture of action, romance, fantasy and comedy.

The female lead in here was an attractive actress named Charlotte Lewis. With her looks and manner, I thought she might go places, but I think this was the only hit movie she's been in.

Twenty years after "The Golden Child," I have found most of those Murphy films not the entertainment they used to be. Maybe it's just me getting older, but Eddie's constant shouting and abrasive boorishness is too much to take now. That includes this movie.

Stars a private detective called Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy), he is a good professional specializing in missing children. But he then becomes 'The Chosen One' to find the child of the title, capable of bringing peace to the earth. To find the missing boy and save humankind from evil forces, young Tibetan priestess Kee Nang (charming Charlotte Lewis) enlists the help of Chandler. Then Murphy goes into action when the Bhuddist mystic child (Reate) was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer named Sardo (Charles Dance) and transported to Los Angeles. Eddie is charged with the task of finding a special child whom dark forces want to eliminate. Murphy disbelieves the mysticism but finds more and more evidence of demon worship as he investigates. In the house of an elderly Tibetan (Victor Wong), a mysterious woman, half hidden in a large veil that only shows her face, tells him that the only way to rescue the child is to get a Tibetan dagger and with it kill Sardo and defeat the forces of the evil. But this dagger can also kill the child if it falls into the power of Sardo. Eddie Murphy Is The Chosen One !.

A mediocre film far from enjoyable, this is a simple and passable flick but neither notable nor extraordinary. It is an unshamed Indiana Jones style hokum with thrills, magic, action-packed, and dated special effects made by means of old computers. An uneven and corny movie, even the critics are divided, some think it is a pretty good fantasy film, others are inclined to consider it painful, and maligned, I think it is mediocre, that's why the comic situations are very forced and already seen. Eddie Murphy is quite likable as a detective with a speciality of finding lost children, he is told he is the 'Chosen one' who will find and protect the Golden Child, his search takes him through Chinatown in a hunt that cliches every Oriental swashbuckler ever made. With his usually salty language restricted by need to make a family entertainment, Murphy is quite acceptable. He's well accompanied by a nice cast of agreeable secondaries, such as: Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Eric Douglas, Charles Dance who will doubtless want forget his character as the restless villain and usual Oriental actors as Victor Wong, Peter Kwong, and the superveteran James Hong who at 94 years old still continues to perform.

The motion picture was mediocrely and unevenly directed by Michael Ritchie. He started his career as an assistant producer in television in the early 1960s. He made various films that punched along at powerful pace. Michael Ritchie's visceral feature film debut was ¨Downhill racer¨ for which he was hired by Robert Redford ; being efficiently directed though hard to amusing and repeating with Robert Redford in ¨The candidate¨. Sports continued to be his forte, his greatest box-office successes being satirical movies about baseball ¨Bad New Bears (1976)) and gridiron ¨Semi-Tough¨(1977)) and ¨Wildcats¨ (1986) . With less commercial success , he took a humorous swipe at beauty pageants with the underrated film ¨Smile¨ (1975). While his work became more mainstream during the 1980's, it does include a few memorable comedies, notably ¨Fletch¨(1985) and its sequel ¨Fletch lives¨(1989) . But also made amusing comedies such as ¨The survivors ¨, ¨The couch trip¨, ¨The golden child¨ , ¨A simple wish¨ and even Noir film as ¨Prime cut¨. Rating : 4.5/10. Average but acceptable and passable .

I loved this movie. I totally disagree with some (negative) critiques that I've read over the years. This was a great vehicle for Eddie Murphy! He appeared to have a great time with his part as Chandler Jarrell and he should never care about what the critics say, if he had fun doing it – and most of his audience enjoyed it! And, it WAS fun to watch as it combined some great fantasy tension with Mr. Murphy's great comedic style. You have to keep in mind that 'Golden Child' is a 'fantasy' film – just an imaginative work of magic and wonder amidst the 'real' world. During the time this film was released, I was working in a video rental store. This was one of the most popular with all our customers. Every single time, we put this one up on our monitor, ALL the copies we had went out fast with wait-list requests that kept it on the queue for months! Everyone who rented it loved it! I was the resident film critic and all my regular customers would ask my opinion before they rented – this was one of my favorites and I knew the taste of my customers so I highly recommended this one to most of them. I really feel that this film is a Sleeper – it may not have done too well at the box office – due to very poor marketing – but it hit a high in the video rental and purchase market later! (YES, I did buy this film for my own video library!). I adored the little boy who played the 'Golden Child' – J. L. Reate - but after looking at his profile in IMDb, I noticed that he never did any more films. That is sad, because he definitely had an on-screen aura and could have continued with a film career. I also adored Victor Wong, who played the Old Man (I LOVED him in his part as 'Egg Shen' in 'Big Trouble in Little China' - 1986). At any rate, this was a great film. The only drawbacks that didn't seem to fit with the theme were some of the parts that got a bit more 'adult' in nature – such as 'Chandler's rather sexual remarks about the serpent lady that was presented to him as a silhouette. It was funny, but it still was out of sync. OK, so there were a few suggestive gratuitous scenes – those were put in for the mind-set of the day perhaps. This was still an adventurous and escapist type of film which we do need today to get away from all the hard core reality and depressing fluff that we are hit with from Hollywood. Now that's Entertainment!

There Was a time when Eddie Murphy was one seriously funny guy, and this film is a good example of that, released in the fall of 1986 THE GOLDEN CHILD was met with mixed to mostly negative reviews (Then again Roger Ebert liked it) I really don't see why people didn't like this film, and to some extent it still to this day is considered a low point in eddies career, for those of you who haven't seen this film before/since i suggest giving it another watch with an open mind knowing that its a fantasy comedy and not your usual Eddie Murphy film (Probably the reason why people just didn't get into it)

The Plot concerns Eddie trying to find a kidnapped child who holds magical powers that can bring love and peace in the world or can bring chaos and destroy the world if the child were to be polluted with anything evil, and the people who kidnapped him want to sacrifice the child to gain and use his power for their own evil scheme.

PROS: Eddie Murphy is hilarious just playing the average Joe who cannot believe the situation around him, as things get crazier Eddie just gets funnier, Charles Dance as the main Villain does a Decent job at playing a Super Serious villain who seems to constantly keep pronouncing his J's Silent Which leads to a lot amusement when Eddie Murphy shares scenes with him. The Art Directiom is Splendid and the Cinematography is stunning (Especially with the scenes in Tibet) The Musical Score by Michael Colobier is so 80s but infectiously catchy Funk influenced Pop Rock that just makes you feel like a Bad A%$ The Film has a great supporting Cast Half of which appear in another similarly themed movie Called BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA And there's a handful of creative set pieces that really stand out (I.E) The Cave which Eddie must retrieve a dagger and a Hilarious Dream Sequence with Eddie and the villain.

CONS: The Final showdown with the Villain feels a little rushed and the Villain's final form isn't all that inspired And the Film's Visual FX don't hold up well in 2 or 3 scenes

But aside from that the Film is a lot of Fun, Eddie needs to release a special edition DVD/Blu Ray for this one, but according to some sources he's not too fond of this film (Honestly I don't see why, maybe because it was made at the height of his career and it burned him inside that it didn't do as well as it should have)

Overall: 7/10 "Not as good as Coming to America or Beverly Hills cop, but its not far behind and definitely better than anything Eddie made in the 90s onwards.

I always remember seeing Eddy Murphy's smile beaming at me from the cover of this movie, for a few years, in the local video rental joint and that's where this movie perfectly sits, in a 1985 VHS

Outside of that, I guess it works as a little time capsule example of when movies were churned out with the production values of the A-Team, with your vigilante hero, wandering about the oh so Hollywood backstreets of either New York or Los Angeles. Just add some carefully, curated, graffiti and some hard rock music in the background and boom we are in the, "tough ghetto".

Seriously though, what is it with that music? They use it everywhere in this movie. They really thought that the kind of track that you would have in a cop chase works for the Tibetan monks. Half the time it doesn't even match the pace. It's just used to indicate everything is a bit gritty and it doesn't work.

Eddie is just on instructions here to play it like Beverly Hills cop, whilst they add a bit of supernatural and special effects, which in their defence aren't actually too bad.

Its the 80s though, so, despite this being a mishmash of comedy and investigative case, there still needs to be a few punches a bit of excessive violence and some carefully choreographed fight scenes.

Overall, it plods along okay and it's more a movie that you would have on in the background than really focus on. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it unless you are Eddie Murphy completist The are better films of this type out there, but there's also a ton of movies that are exactly like this out there so if this is your thing I guess you'll like it. But it's all a bit too generic studio production, mid 80s rental fodder for my liking.

At least "The Golden Child" represented a real change of pace for comedy star Eddie Murphy, cast here as Chandler Jarrell, a tracker of missing children whom, it is determined, is the perfect individual to retrieve a powerful child (J.L. Reate) who's been stolen by some very bad men. Should they succeed in corrupting the child, they can kill him and thus allow for evil to take over the planet. Jarrell is reluctant to accept this task (among other things, he doesn't want to experience the cold of Nepal) but, ultimately, his better nature takes over. "The Golden Child", as directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Dennis Feldman, takes what is a rather traditional fantasy quest and melds it with a contemporary, wise acre sensibility. Murphy is good and very likable in this part, and livens some scenes with his quips. He doesn't do too bad in the hero department, either. The great Charles Dance, as his nemesis, is a hoot with his straight faced performance. Charlotte Lewis is lovely to look at but that's about it. Old pros Victor Wong and James Hong add to the movie with their presence; Wong is fun in one of his standard eccentric roles. One can also hear the legendary and ultra ubiquitous Frank Welker lending a voice to an unseen demon, a voice just like the one he provided for Dr. Claw on the 'Inspector Gadget' series. There's a certain oddness to a particular sequence in the movie - the dream sequence - that makes it a real curio, as Feldman and Ritchie have fun with the whole weirdness of dreams. Dance appears to try to make Murphy an offer, and in response to some of Murphy's one liners, there's a cut to a studio audience laughing away. One of the best lines has to be, "Would you get your monkey off my back?", as Murphy refers to a henchman of Dance's with a primate like face. Granted, when Murphy gets to Nepal, there could have been a better fantasy quotient. As it is, the sequence where he proves his worth as the rescuer of the child could have had a little more meat to it. Some scenes come off as fairly awkward, but the ones that work are quite funny. The special effects aren't the greatest, but they lend a cheesy charm to the various goings-on. Michel Colombier's music is lively and loud, and the location shooting in Nepal is excellent, lending some much appreciated atmosphere. All of this is reasonably entertaining, and interesting enough. Don't let the scathing reviews dissuade you from giving it a chance. It's a nice alternative to the other Murphy vehicles from the period. Seven out of 10.

The Golden Child is a lot of different things at once that don't entirely cohere. A lot can be appreciated simply as a product that could've only been made in its time because of how insane it is and most flaws can be accepted due to the 90 minute run time that ensures it flies by. It just needed a lot more laughs to get in the upper echelons of Eddie Murphy's filmography.

This is an early sign of Eddie Murphy not giving it his all. However, it's also a testament to his talents that he doesn't need to bring 100% to single-handedly keep this thing going. Every joke that lands is purely because of him. The villain of this film would be completely forgettable if he wasn't played by Charles Dance. He's not layered by any means but Dance brings natural gravitas.

Michael Ritchie's direction can't get the contrasting tones and genres to entirely coalesce which is balanced by his wise choice to let Murphy just run away with some of the scenes. Michel Colombier's score essentially plays one piece of music relentlessly and luckily it's wacky enough to fit whatever the film's going for whilst never getting old.

I would lie if I said that this movie is good, it isn't. The plot is down the drain and so unlogical that it makes my head ache, but the movie does have some qualities. The actors are OK and the footage can't be complained at either and I must add that thanks to Eddie Murphy the movie is watchable and even funny.

I don't know how he does it but his zany jokes keeps hitting the right comedy-button - every time.

So the conclusion is that, in the end I must recommend you all to see it - if not for a brilliant movie but for Murphy's jokes.

An attractive, strange Asian woman proclaims you're the "chosen one". A little Asian boy astrally projects himself outside your window. A demon disguised as a man burns a mark in your arm with his fingernail... that's strange, but it is Los Angeles. That pretty much was the reaction of Jarell Chandler (Eddie Murphy). I'm not saying that that is the reason I didn't like the movie, but it was a big contributor.

I understand that the movie was fantasy, but to Jarell, and the rest of the otherwise normal citizens of L.A., these events were admittedly not normal. So how in the world was his reaction so tame?

Jarell Chandler's indifferent response summed up Eddie Murphy's performance. Eddie Murphy wasn't classic Eddie Murphy. He had a few good lines but this was easily one of his worst movies. I never saw Pluto Nash and Norbit was somewhat of a downer but this movie was in his heyday. The movie really depended on Eddie delivering, and I mean REALLY depended on him because the story was weak and the other actors were even weaker than the story. Of course we know that Eddie's career wasn't defined by this movie and thank God for that.

The Golden Child is a quirky combination of action, martial arts, fantasy, comedy and romance. The film takes itself quite seriously, save for Eddie Murphy's character, which is sarcastic and disbelieving of his fish out of water experience. However, there are several excellent action sequences, and overall the film can hold the audiences attention well. The characters are fairly compelling, and the main villain and female lead both add the tone of seriousness to the plot.

This movie is very similar to "Big Trouble In Little China" though it takes itself far more seriously, and is geared towards an older audience. Where Big Trouble was very cheesy, Golden Child is more dramatic.

Overall, this is a fun romp, and an excellent way to spend a couple of hours for escape and entertainment.

I am guessing the reason this movie did so well at the box office is of course Eddie Murphy. I think this was his first movie since "Beverly Hills Cop" so at the time he was hot. Considering that one made over two hundred million and it was R and this one made about 80 million and it was pg does say it was not all that popular. I have never been a big Eddie Murphy fan, so that is probably another reason I didn't care for it much at all. This one has Eddie as some sort of finder of lost kids. He must find the golden child or the world is in terrible peril. The plot is very bad, but as bad as it is it does not compare to the special effects. I had seen better stuff done in the 70's than some of the stuff this one offers, Ray Harryhausen did better stuff. Still the main reason you see a movie like this is because of Eddie, unfortunately he is not very funny in this one at all and it just seems stupid to put him in the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" type scenes. I guess they were hoping for a fish out of water effect, but to me it just did not work.

The premise may seem goofy, but since Murphy's character doesn't take it seriously, it helps ease the audience into this mix of mysticism and modern-day hard-boiled child abduction. Excellent cast, particularly Charles Dance and Charlotte Lewis, and Murphy is at the height of his 80's peak in comedy/action. There's also some great F/X, a very surreal dream sequence, and a fairly original plot. Often overlooked in the pantheon of Murphy flicks, but this one is worth a look.

This is a strange movie. It falls somewhere between being a comedy/supernatural/action flick. Without Eddie Murphy, this movie is definitely a BORE (except for maybe the eye-candy Ms. Lewis provides). In the end, I'm sure we have all seen worse movies (haven't we?).

Generally considered a low point in Eddie Murphy's career, "The Golden Child" is actually a mixed bag. It's at its best when it spoofs the solemnity and the cliches of most exotic epics, and when Murphy delivers some sarcastic, witty wisecracks. And it's at its worst when it resorts to violence (excessively graphic for such a film), special effects and too much "local color" to fill in the dead spots. (**)