Tai-Pan is an epic adventure-romance set against the backdrop of the founding of Hong Kong as a British colony, circa 1842, in response to the opium wars between Britain and China. The plot revolves around an unscrupulous merchant trader Dirk Struan (Bryan Brown), and his long-standing feud with a rival merchant as each battles for supremacy as the ruling British merchant, or Tai-Pan, of Hong Kong. Over the years their bitter rivalry between the two men becomes murderous resulting eventually in a momentous showdown. Based on James Clavell’s ambitious novel of the same name (the first of his Noble House series), the film simplifies the book’s intricate sub-plots, only partially succeeding in capturing the spirit, depth and complexity of its source. Cast also includes Joan Chen, John Stanton and Bill Leadbitter.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
316816
Language
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)