Tai-Pan is a 1986 adventure drama film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on James Clavell's 1966 novel of the same name.

The De Laurentiis Entertainment Group handled the production and were actively seen battling the Chinese Government and Labor boards over the film during shooting.

Duke believed that a mini-series à la 1980's Shōgun or 1988's Noble House would have been a far superior means of covering the complexity of Clavell's novel.

Although the film features many characters, it is arguably Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock, former shipmates and the owners of two massive (fictional) trading companies who are the main focal points of the story.

Their rocky and often abusive relationship as seamen initiated an intense amount of competitive tension.

Martin Ransohoff of Filmways bought the rights in 1966 in conjunction with MGM for $500,000 plus a percentage of the profits.

Patrick McGoohan was announced to play Dirk Struan (the first of a two-picture deal he had with MGM) with Michael Anderson attached to direct.

In the late 1970s Georges-Alain Vuille obtained the rights and George MacDonald Fraser was hired to adapt the novel.

[13] Fraser's script met with approval – Vuille hired him to write a sequel – Richard Fleischer was attached to direct, and Steve McQueen agreed to star for a reported fee of $3 million.

[15][18] The popularity of the novel and TV series of Shōgun made Tai Pan continually attractive to filmmakers.

The film was directed by Daryl Duke and starred Bryan Brown, who had worked together on The Thorn Birds.

"[22] Roger Ebert called it "the embodiment of those old movie posters where the title is hewn from solid rock and tiny figures scale it with cannons strapped to their backs, while the bosoms of their women heave in the foreground.

[23] The Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas said, "anyone who enjoyed James Clavell's epic novel of the early China traders can only wish that it had never arrived.