The Golden Child is a modern fantasy film released in 1986, starring Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong, and J.L. Reate as the titular Golden Child. It is a tongue-in-cheek take on the entire genre of Chosen One stories, complete with a Trickster Mentor, Card Carrying Villain, and the lovable Karmic Trickster antics of Murphy.

Chandler Jarrell (Murphy) is a private detective specializing in missing children who is recruited by Kee Nang (Lewis) to locate and rescue the Golden Child, a boy with mystic powers who has been kidnapped by demonic forces. The Big Bad, a sorcerer named Sardo Numspa (Dance), wishes to kill the child to bring about the rule of evil on Earth, but must do so at a specific time with a specific ritual. Jarrell, a cynic and skeptic, is forced to come to terms with the supernatural elements of the world, as he is the Chosen One who is fated to protect the child. First, however, he must undergo his own training at the hands of "The Old Man", a Trickster Mentor played by Victor Wong, and recover the Ajanti dagger that is the only hope of killing Numspa... or the Golden Child.

Eddie Murphy plays a social worker with a specialty of finding lost children. He is told he is the 'Chosen one' who will find and protect the Golden Child, a Buddhist mystic who was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. Murphy disbelieves the mysticism but finds more and more evidence of demon worship as he investigates.

Information

Director:Michael Ritchie

Writer:Dennis Feldman (written by)

Release Date:12 December 1986 (USA)

Tagline:Eddie Murphy Is The Chosen One

The Cast and Crew

J.L. Reate ... The Golden Child

Eddie Murphy ... Chandler Jarrell

Charles Dance ... Sardo Numspa

Charlotte Lewis ... Kee Nang

Victor Wong ... The Old Man

Randall 'Tex' Cobb ... Til

James Hong ... Doctor Hong

Shakti ... Kala

Tau Logo ... Yu

Tiger Chung Lee ... Khan

Pons Maar ... Fu

Peter Kwong ... Tommy Tong

Wally Taylor ... Detective Boggs

Eric Douglas ... Yellow Dragon

Charles Levin ... TV Host

Kenneth H. Frith Jr. ... Friend at Pink's (as Kenneth 'Fruitty' Frith Jr.)

Bennett Ohta ... Herb Shop Clerk

Kinko Tsubouchi ... Old Chinese Woman

Govind Chipalu ... Jabbering Old Man

Chantara Nop ... Security Man #1

Phok Ok ... Security Man #2

Bob Tzudiker ... Businessman Customer

Cliffy Magee ... Russell

Jeff Soo Hoo ... Waiter

Bindra Joshi ... Chicken Lady on Plane

Judy Hudson ... Tortoise Lady

Ron Packham ... Buttonman

Marilyn Schreffler ... Kala (voice)

Frank Welker ... The Thing (voice)

rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Aron Kincaid ... Informer (uncredited)

Gene LeBell ... Drunken Biker (uncredited)

Produced by

Dennis Feldman .... co-producer

Edward S. Feldman .... producer

Charles R. Meeker .... executive producer

Richard Tienken .... executive producer

Robert D. Wachs .... producer

Gordon A. Webb .... associate producer

Original Music by

Michel Colombier

Cinematography by

Donald E. Thorin

Film Editing by

Richard A. Harris

Casting by

Patricia Mock

Production Design by

J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by

Lynda Paradise

Set Decoration by

Marvin March

Costume Design by

Wayne A. Finkelman (as Wayne Finkelman)

Makeup Department

Ken Chase .... makeup designer and creator