Product Details

• Actors: Eddie Murphy, J.L. Reate, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong
• Directors: Michael Ritchie
• Writers: Dennis Feldman
• Producers: Charles R. Meeker, Dennis Feldman, Edward S. Feldman, Gordon A. Webb, Richard Tienken
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Dubbed: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: March 9, 1999
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305310351
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,773 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Golden Child" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Things started going downhill for Eddie Murphy around the time of this 1986 clunker, in which the comic actor plays a social worker predicted to be the savior of a kidnapped child, who has special powers to heal the Earth. Dennis Feldman's script and director Michael Ritchie (The Candidate), a once-thoughtful satirist, stumble over every link in a chain of fantasy-fueled sequences. Murphy phones it in, and Charles Dance (Pascali's Island) looks foolish in retrospect. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

As 'The Chosen One', Murphy's on a madcap mission to save The Golden Child, a youth with mystical powers who's been abducted by an evil cult. He battles a band of super-nasties, scrambles through a booby-trapped chamber of horrors and traverses Tibet to obtain a sacred dagger. But it's Murphy's wit that turns out to be his sharpest weapon in this 24-karat comedy adventure.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Murphy flick May 9, 2002

By Rottenberg's rotten book review

Format:VHS Tape

Murphy was so popular before this flick came out, somebody wrote at the time, that he could survive if it flopped. "Golden Child" was a commercial disappointment and it did hurt him. To this day, I don't know why.

Murphy is Chandler Jerroll - an LA-based PI with a flip attitude on anything. He's a hero of the city of angels, but he's no angel himself. In short, he is the "chosen one", the foretold hero destined to save the "golden child" from evil. While Jerroll searches LA for lost children, the enchanted golden child rises in spiritual purity in a snowy monastery in the Himalayas. The wicked forces of Sardo Numspar (Charles Dance) invade the monastery and, after overrunning the monks, spirit the boy away in a cage. The boy, it turns out, is one of a line of divine lamas upon whom the world rests, and whom evil must destroy. Dark Forces had already claimed other golden children. With the loss of the "bringer of justice", the death of another golden child will plunge the world into hell. Why Murphy is the "Chosen One" (and who's doing the choosing here?) are subjects the script keeps wisely away from. Instead, what we get is a deft mix of high adventure and comedy. It shouldn't work at all, but Murphy mugs on cue and can handle the preposterousness of the situation - a modern LA guy having to battle the forces of evil. The joke of the flick is that Eddie Murphy is the Chosen One - only a comically refined mind could effectively mix the fun and action like he does. Crude special effects aside, the fantasy mixes well with the comedy, and Murphy's light touch plays well off of the evil Numspar and Charlotte Lewis as Jerrol's love interest. This is simply an underappreciated classic.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Comic Adventure March 23, 2006

By Elijah Chingosho

Format:DVD

"The Golden Child" is an interesting, fun and action packed comic/adventure with a touch of horror where Jarrel (Eddie Murphy) stars as the Chosen One. In this role, he has the "onerous" responsibility of finding the "Golden Child". The Golden Child is a Buddhist child with supernatural powers who was kidnapped by some evil villains and sorcerers. I first saw this film in the late 1980s and I loved it. I still enjoy watching it to this day, particularly the sarcastic humour typical of Eddie Murphy.

Eddie Murphy plays the reluctant hero, having been thrust into an unnatural and supernatural world of sorcery and mysticism. The Golden child, who is one in a line of divine Lamas and upon his compassion and grace the fate of the world rests, is a delightful and charming kid. The lady who identifies Eddie Murphy as the Chosen One is cute. Charles Dance, who plays as the wicked "Sardun Numspa", performs his role with expertise.

In this film, Eddie Murphy looks more serious than usual and the swearing and four letter words are much less. Eddie Murphy fans will enjoy his usual cute jokes. Viewers will also enjoy many visual appealing scenes.

This is one of Eddie Murphy's best movies. This amusing and mysterious movie is well worth watching. This is recommended viewing for those who love comedy and adventure and do not mind the weird and supernatural.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eddie Murphy at his best and brightest. A True Classic November 15, 1999

By Bradley Tobin

Format:DVD

I am very happy to see my fellow Reveiwers totally disregarding everything that Leonard Maltin (and other nitwit critics who wouldn't know entertainment if it bit them on the ...) said and spoke the truth about this classic comedy. This is Eddies best film (followed closely by coming to America and Beverly hills cop) and I beleive it will stay in that position for many years to come.