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IMDbPro

Tai-Pan

  • 1986
  • R
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Tai-Pan (1986)
Adventure

Historical fiction set against the backdrop of Hong Kong in its early years of British rule.Historical fiction set against the backdrop of Hong Kong in its early years of British rule.Historical fiction set against the backdrop of Hong Kong in its early years of British rule.

  • Director
    • Daryl Duke
  • Writers
    • John Briley
    • James Clavell
    • Stanley Mann
  • Stars
    • Bryan Brown
    • Joan Chen
    • John Stanton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Daryl Duke
    • Writers
      • John Briley
      • James Clavell
      • Stanley Mann
    • Stars
      • Bryan Brown
      • Joan Chen
      • John Stanton
    • 25User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos35

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    Top cast42

    Edit
    Bryan Brown
    Bryan Brown
    • Dirk Struan
    Joan Chen
    Joan Chen
    • May-May
    John Stanton
    John Stanton
    • Tyler Brock
    Tim Guinee
    Tim Guinee
    • Culum Struan
    Bill Leadbitter
    • Gorth Brock
    Russell Wong
    Russell Wong
    • Gordon Chen
    Katy Behean
    • Mary Sinclair
    Kyra Sedgwick
    Kyra Sedgwick
    • Tess Brock
    Janine Turner
    Janine Turner
    • Shevaun Tillman
    Norman Rodway
    Norman Rodway
    • Aristotle Quance
    John Bennett
    John Bennett
    • Orlov
    Derrick Branche
    Derrick Branche
    • Vargas
    Vic Armstrong
    Vic Armstrong
    • Drunken Sailor
    Dickey Beer
    Dickey Beer
    • Brecks's Crew
    Edowan Bersmea
    Phil Chatterton Tongplaw
    • Boatswain
    Shu Chen
    Shu Chen
    Chuang Cheng
    • Jin Qua
    • Director
      • Daryl Duke
    • Writers
      • John Briley
      • James Clavell
      • Stanley Mann
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews25

    5.62K
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    Featured reviews

    2yenlo

    Should have been made as a mini series.

    Adventure film based on James Clavell's novel about a 19th-century trade baron who makes his headquarters in Hong Kong. This is the 3rd worst motion picture I've ever seen in a theater (behind Rebel and Dune.) It seemed that the original intention was to have made this as a TV mini series and not for theatrical release. One point in the film Bryan Browns character Dirk Struan tells another male character "When you make dung you'll wipe your arse with paper". The entire theater crowd erupted in laughter for about five minutes and it appeared that the line was not intended to be humorous. That's how bad this movie was.
    4Libretio

    If you love exotic melodramas, this one's for you!

    TAI-PAN

    Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (J-D-C Scope)

    Sound format: Dolby Stereo

    1840's China: Thrown off the mainland because of his opium dealings, a western merchant (Bryan Brown) sets up home on the island of Hong Kong where he faces conflict from friend and foe alike in the lead-up to colonization.

    Hugely derided at the time of its release, this handsome production - based on the novel by James Clavell, and directed by TV specialist Daryl Duke (THE THORN BIRDS) - plays to the gallery at every turn, embracing the book's labyrinthine plot and outrageous melodrama with unashamed fervour, an approach which appears to have sealed its fate at the box-office. The movie opens a little too abruptly, indicating a troubled post-production, but John Briley's busy screenplay (co-written with Stanley Mann) unfolds against a colorful historical backdrop and includes just enough nudity and violence to keep boredom at bay. Brown's performance is compromised by an unconvincing Scottish accent, and he's upstaged by Joan Chen (THE LAST EMPEROR) as the Chinese girl who loves him regardless of his failings, while handsome Tim Guinee (HOW TO MAKE AN American QUILT) is achingly sincere as Brown's naive young son, led astray by villainous merchants plotting his family's downfall. Also starring John Stanton, Russell Wong, Norman Rodway, Kyra Sedgwick and Bert Remsen in supporting roles. Production values strive to capture an epic feel and are largely successful, though no one's ever going to mistake this for "Lawrence of Hong Kong"! Italian makeup maestro Giannetto de Rossi (a regular contributor to the films of Lucio Fulci) provides some occasional flashes of gore, including a brief - but realistic - decapitation near the beginning of the picture.
    5widescreenguy

    19th century saga in 3 easy steps

    first, inject countless clichés and stereotypes, populate the cast with some well-knowns, and add some 'tit'illation.

    and wait for the box office receipts to pour in!!!

    I am very very disappointed in this film which I purchased on VHS. its one of those I *know* I wont be watching a 2nd time.

    it meanders, gap toothed, and those stereotypes just weigh it down till it sinks in Hong Kong harbor. and of course, top it all off with a quickie pan of modern day Hong Kong.

    some good acting but not enough to overcome the numerous shortcomings.

    I didn't read the book but Im sure it far outclasses this quickie 2 + hour 'featurette'. is there a Hollywood ombudsman you can call up to you know, get your money back or something?

    Im glad IMDb exists so that duds like this can be outed and red-flagged.
    7RAY-130

    Too much in too short a time

    I agree with other comments that this should have been a miniseries but on HBO not commercial TV. The scenes with the various women would have been destroyed with censorship. I believe that it did give an accurate "feel" to the times and events depicted.

    Upon viewing this I immediately ordered the book ( I had ignored it due to some disappointment at Nobel House ). Also bit the bullet and ordered Shogun the miniseries. Mr. Clavell's work s are to be appreciated even in movies that fall short. I do wish Bryan Brown had a better accent but Joan Chen mimicked it perfectly.

    The supporting cast both western and oriental were excellent. Also the "few" ships used were great. Now I want Noble House on DVD.
    7rbischoff

    Not bad!

    I found this movie to follow the novel pretty closely, considering of course that the novel is about 900 pages and the movie is only two hours! While not of the same outstanding caliber of adaptation as the Shogun miniseries, it nevertheless manages to generate some excitement and give a flavor for the happenings of that period, during which the colony of Hong Kong was founded.

    Joan Chen was especially good as Mai-Mai, and all the other parts were at least adequately cast. The locations, sets and production values were of uniformly good quality. The only thing lacking was enough time to tell a story this long and complex--in such a short production one only has time to hit the high points of the plot. But it was enjoyable nevertheless.

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    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Producer Martin Ransohoff and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in 1966 acquired the rights to James Clavell's source "Tai-Pan" novel for US $500,000. The movie was then announced by MGM in 1967-68 to star Patrick McGoohan to play Dirk Struan, to be directed by Michael Anderson, with source novelist Clavell writing the screenplay. The picture was originally budgeted to cost US $26 million which was then reduced to US $20 million. The project sat around stagnant for a time in development hell. However, after severe operating losses, the epic was one of a number of expensive projects the new management at the MGM studio dropped as being too costly. The project and the development of the movie at MGM was in the end canceled by executive James T. Aubrey.
    • Goofs
      In a scene, set in 1841, several of the ladies were wearing bright mauve outfits. That would have been most unlikely for the wives of middle class traders at that time as the color purple was prohibitively expensive before the invention of analine dyes in London - in 1856. By 1870 these gaudy colors had become so cheap and commonplace that it became a status symbol to mimic the subtler, paler colors of the pre analine dye days.
    • Quotes

      Dirk Struan: No emperor has seen the guns of a British man-of-war.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: 52 Pick-Up/Nobody's Fool/Tai Pan/The Sacrifice (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Mazurka
      (uncredited)

      Music by Adrien Talexy

      Arranged by Trevor L. Sharpe

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    FAQ19

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 7, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tai Pan
    • Filming locations
      • Chen Family Temple - Guangzhou, China(Commissioner Lin's court)
    • Production company
      • De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,007,250
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,863,469
      • Nov 9, 1986
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,007,250
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 7m(127 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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