Noble House (1988)

Based on the massive (1,000 pages plus) best seller by James Clavell (SHOGUN), this six hour film centers on the "tai-pan" (Pierce Brosnan), the head of a trading company fighting off a take over in Hong Kong in the last years before Hong Kong reverts to China. The storyline has been updated to the 1980s from the novel's 1960s milieu. As directed by Gary Nelson (THE BLACK HOLE), it's juicy "can't wait to see what happens next" multiple storylines populated by colorful characters who weave in and out of each other's lives make for an irresistible potboiler. The production values are, for the most part, quite lush and elegantly shot by the Italian cinematographer Cristiano Pogany. The first half of the film features a spectacular fire on a multi tiered floating restaurant in the Hong Kong harbor reminiscent of TOWERING INFERNO while the second half features a luxury apartment building collapsing when a landslide hits it. Unfortunately, the last 30 minutes or so spent tying up all the plot's loose ends is an anti-climax. The huge cast includes Deborah Raffin, John Houseman, Denholm Elliott, Nancy Kwan, John Rhys-Davies (memorable as Brosnan's chief nemesis), Ben Masters, Julia Nickson, Burt Kwouk, Lisa Lu, Tia Carrere, John Van Dreelen, Gordon Jackson and Khigh Dhiegh.