Style: Fantasy Journey
Director: Michael Ritchie
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong
Synopsis: In Tibet, satanic forces commanded by Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance) kidnap the Golden Baby, who possesses magical powers and is the lengthy awaited savior of humanity. In Los Angeles, Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) locates skilled baby finder Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy) and informs him that he’s the Chosen One tasked with rescuing the Golden Baby. Though deeply skeptical, Chandler is drawn into the net of thriller and magic, establishing a confrontation with Sardo.
What Works Properly: Charles Dance efficiently dominates his scenes because the personification of evil. The comparatively brief operating time ensures the motion is effectively hustled together with sustained vitality, and though largely silent, younger J.L. Reate is endearing because the Golden Baby.
What Does Not Work As Properly: Eddie Murphy’s model of improvised and foul-mouthed modern humour by no means settles inside a milieu of historical cultures and cryptic beliefs. The script artificially force-feeds city edginess and sarcasm right into a grand story of excellent versus evil, leaving director Michael Ritchie flailing searching for narrative coherence. A lot of the humour falls flat and serves to emphasise American obtuseness in direction of different cultures, whereas the generic synth music is simply as contextually oblivious. The unconvincing romance fares no higher, with Charlotte Lewis as Kee Nang having no enterprise falling in love with Murphy’s Chandler.
Key Quote:
Chandler: The Chosen One. I am the Chosen One. Why? Tibet? Why cannot someone select me to go to the Bahamas? I received to get chosen to go to Tibet.
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