The Golden Child

The Golden Child (1986) is Michael Ritchie's comic action-adventure starring Eddie Murphy, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Chandler Jarrell, a Los Angeles social worker who specializes in finding lost kids, learns that he himself is the Chosen One named in an ancient Tibetan prophecy.

Once every thousand generations a special child is born with sacred power to do good in the world. This time the boy is snatched by Sardo Numspa, a coolly evil presence played by Charles Dance. Priestess Kee Nang, played by Charlotte Lewis, drags the deeply skeptical Chandler toward his mission: get the child back before evil snuffs out goodness itself. Murphy ad-libs his way through the whole supernatural quest, turning a mystical errand into a string of fast-talking standoffs.

Riding Murphy's post-Beverly Hills Cop stardom, the movie became a big box-office draw even as critics split over its mash-up of Eastern mysticism and street-smart comedy. Today it plays as cozy eighties fun: cheerfully dated effects, a wisecracking lead, and Dance villaining with icy delight. Stream The Golden Child (1986) online on iFILM.