Shanghai Surprise

Set in 1930s Shanghai, Shanghai Surprise follows Glendon Wasey, a salesman stranded in the city after a run of failed business deals, and Gloria Tatlock, a missionary nurse who wants a missing shipment of opium for its medicinal use. The opium is hidden somewhere in the city, and Gloria recruits Glendon to help her find it, offering him passage out of China. Their search puts them in the path of local criminals who also want the shipment, and the pair face a series of dangerous characters as they pursue it.

The film was directed by Jim Goddard, the second of the two features listed for him, following Poor Mother in 1970, and was written by John Kohn and Robert Bentley, with Kohn also producing. Sean Penn plays Glendon and Madonna plays Gloria, with Paul Freeman, Richard Griffiths, Clyde Kusatsu and Philip Sayer in supporting roles. It was a British production from HandMade Films and The Vista Organization.

Shanghai Surprise was released in August 1986 and runs 97 minutes. Its budget was 17 million US dollars, while its worldwide box office came to about 2 million, a wide gap between cost and return. Audience scores are low, with a rating of 3.3 out of 10 on IMDb from around 6,100 votes and 4.3 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 105 votes. A critics' rating of 3.9 out of 10 from 10 reviews places it slightly above the IMDb audience figure.