Tai Pan tells the story of rival traders Dirk Struan (Bryan Brown) and Tyler Brock (John Stanton) who are lured by the prospect of profit beyond measure when they have the chance to exchange opium for Chinese silver. Against this background the film tells he story of a struggle which ultimately pits father against son, and in which the sensual ways of a woman return power to one man whilst destroying another. But which one of them will become the Tai Pan?
A**R
Tai Pan
Interesting history from the early days in HK.
J**M
Tai Pan - The founding of a Hong Kong trade empire
Anyone who knows Hong Kong reasonably well will apreciate James Clavell's masterpiece on the foundation of the island as a British Colony, and with that,the foundation of a family dynasy's trading empire.The book is excellent. The film is good, firy stuff with lots of adventure. But the film is also necessarily less comprehensive and would be righly classified by many as a "B" movie.Jack
K**R
Disappointed to note that VHS tape is longer
This dvd was to replace my VHS tape of the film. Disappointed to note that VHS tape is longer! But not the fault of the seller.
C**.
Good film
A good film, but with such a short time available, inevitably misses most of the nuances and intrigue of the original book. Recommend reading the book/kindle to get the full flavour of Clavell's world. UPDATE - On 2nd watching, down rated from 5 star (outstanding/excellent) to 4 star (very good/good). Still recommended.
S**N
very good
brilliant movie
M**R
A total disappointment
The book by James Clavell is an excellent International Best Seller. It is a wonderful and intriguing story. Sadly this DVD is an embarrassment which has not managed to transfer from a book to the screen. It does not convey the excitement which is in the book. It is not in the same league as Shogun, but should be. It has a good opening with music and you then hope for that standard to be kept up, but sadly it falls away into total boredom. I felt sorry for the actors who seemed to be acting in a Village Panto.A great story totally ruined by poor scripts and filmwork.If you must watch this film, it will probably be shown at about 4AM on TV.Save your money and watch Shogun again.
A**1
Tai Pan DVD
The book is a massive story, the DVD doesn't match up
N**E
Still one of the best books I've ever read but this doesn't do the book justice
Still one of the best books I've ever read but this doesn't do the book justice. Bought out of love of the book and found it wanting I'm afraid
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
5 days ago
