Sadly Over-hyped

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's been 3 years since socialite Eve Tozer (Bess Armstrong) heard from her wealthy father Bradley Tozer (Wilford Brimley). His business partner in London is trying to declare him dead. She has only 12 days before the partner steals the family business and the entire fortune. Her only option is hiring drunken war hero Patrick O'Malley (Tom Selleck) and his mechanic Struts (Jack Weston). Under fire from pursuing gunmen, they fly two biplanes from Turkey to Afghanistan and eventually China where Bradley is leading villagers in a battle against a local ruthless warlord.It's a rather simplistic 'road' movie. It's an action adventure following the successful footsteps of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The characters are simply drawn. Certainly, Selleck has a bit of Indy in him. The romantic chemistry is also drawn from that road map. I do like the flying although action is not always there. At least, that's what I remember most before watching it again recently. Of course, it's inferior to Raiders but it still works.

With tongue firmly in cheek Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong and the rest of the cast give us a spoof of all those old action/adventure flicks from the 30s and 40s. The film is set in Kuomintang China which has always been a good source for these films, a fluid political situation, a weak central government and a lot of warlords in business for themselves.Industrialist Wilford Brimley has gone to Asia and vanished, but that hasn't stopped his daughter from spending his money like it had no end. But the end might be coming as his partner Robert Morley wants him declared legally dead and by terms of their partnership he gets control of the company and daughter Bess Armstrong is out in the cold. She might have to do like others do and actually go to work.Heaven forfend so she hires former air ace Tom Selleck who comes with two World War I era biplanes and a mechanic played by Jack Weston. This partnership takes her to Afghanistan, Nepal, and finally the westernmost province of China Sinkiang in search of Brimley.Along the way all the old clichés concerning these films is employed and of course chemistry cannot be denied. Selleck and Armstrong become an item and Selleck finds some use for his former aviation combat skills.By the way I loved and I'm sure you'll love Brimley's explanation as to why Armstrong will be well taken care of despite efforts to the contrary.Those efforts are being directed by Robert Morley who I can never resist seeing in any film. There's also a nice performance by Brian Blessed as an Afghan warlord.Tom Selleck's fans should love High Road To China.

A B movie take on the 80s adventure movies typified by Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, High Road to China is notable for how universally pedestrian all its elements are. The cast is made up of bland actors best suited to TV series (excepting a small part by Robert Morley), with the two leads failing to generate the called-for sparks. The script is predictable. The direction is competent but lackluster.Nothing is really terrible, but an hour in, I just dropped it. I wouldn't have walked out on it in the theater, but in the freer world of TV, I just couldn't see any reason to go on.B movies can be great, if there's some spark of inspiration in there somewhere. This movie just sits there.

This is one of my all time favorite movies and without a doubt my favorite Tom Selleck movie. I've never understood why it didn't do better and isn't more well known. It has an excellent cast, the chemistry between Selleck and Armstrong is palpable, the movie itself is very well done; decent plot, fast pace, well developed characters, great score and great cinematography, and it's a fun story. When people look back at Selleck's career I think this movie and "Quigley Down Under" will be considered his best big screen work. And Bess Armstrong has always been a strong actress, she's great in this movie, as is the entire supporting cast. This is the kind of movie that people go to the movies to see. It should get much more respect than it does, and it should be available on DVD!