Shanghai Knights Movie Review:


He has braved the feudalism of the Old West, the fast-jawed flares of the loudest mouth in Hollywood, and pulled on a "super-tux" so he could star opposite a starlet. What else in the world has Jackie Chan got left to do? Why not save Queen Victoria in 1830s London?

In the sequel to the buddy-comedy western Shanghai Noon, we find new sheriff Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) finding out that his father has been killed and that his little sister has ended up in London, England while pursuing the killer. Wang plots his journey to the Old World and seeks out his old friend Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson) to accompany him. Who killed Wang’s father and what has he to gain by doing so? Is Chon Wang’s little sister Chon Lin (Fann Wong) up to this challenge?

If you love Owen Wilson or Jackie Chan, then this film will be utter heaven. Their chemistry is flawless as they pick up right where they left off in the previous film. In some ways I like the teaming of Wilson and Chan a lot more then the teaming of Chan and Tucker in the Rush Hour flicks. I think that has a lot to do with how much I enjoy Owen Wilson’s style of comedy. It just has the uncanny ability to make me howl with glee.

It will be very interesting to see how this movie plays in jolly old England. A lot of the jokes in the film poke fun at the British. Most is very stereotypical and quite off the cuff. The humor reminded a lot of the John Goodman comedy, King Ralph.

During their escapades through England, the duo bump into such classic historical figures as Queen Victoria, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack the Ripper, Charlie Chaplin. I really enjoyed how comically the historical characters were inserted but the whole Jack the Ripper scene was probably the funniest of all.

Director David Dobkin turns Jackie’s kung-fu scenes into a sort of vaudeville show, which does tease the funny bone but was it really necessary. I like Chan’s multi-use fight scenes and it was kind of weird seeing them reduced to such a corny looking sideshow. In the previous film they went straight with the fight scenes. I found that they really tried way to hard in this film to find goofy and corny things for these guys to get mixed up in.

I love the stars and there are some really funny moments but the filmmakers should know when to play for the laughs and when to play it straight.

(3.5 of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

As the year 2003 begins, yet another recycled sequel is released with Shanghai Knights. The film is a sequel to the successful western comedy Shanghai Noon (2000).

This film is not as amusing or enjoyable as the
previous film, but none the less the less the movie's
instantaneous comedy is too good not to like at least a little bit. Jackie Chan of course displays his
incredible athletic ability again and Owen Wilson is
again the same old goofball character.

The story takes place years after Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) saved China's princess in the Old West. The two comedic heroes are summoned to London this time to stop the assassination of the Royal Family and to avenge the murder of Chon Wang's father. In a sloppy political belief, the English bad-guy named Rathbone (Gillen) killed Chon's father,
who was the protector of the seal of China. Rathbone steals the seal, which will given power over China once he knocks off the rest of the Royal Family, he is 10th in line to throne. A new addition to the two heroes is Chon Wang's sister Chon Lin (Wong), who witnessed her father's murder and has the same fighting abilities as Chon Wang. Roy quickly falls for her and there are humorous moments in the film of Roy attempting to get Chon Wang's blessing. As the adventure continues to an action-filled climax, there are many more laughs and comedic histories references
through the film.

Screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar also
wrote Shanghai Noon. The two writers of course
recycle the same jokes and ideas and present them in a different manner in Shanghai Knights. However, the advantage of having these same writers is that they know their character's best and though the comedy is the same, it is still fresh. The addition of Chon Wang's sister works well as a triangle instead of just the two sidekicks. On the other hand, the addition of another sidekick, a little boy that claims to be Charlie Chaplin, just sort of gives the film too much to handle, as it begins to bust at the seams.

David Dobkin stepped in as the rookie of the
production with the job of directing Shanghai Knights. Dobkin does a commendable job and keeps the spirit that Jackie Chan perceives as producer and action choreographer. Outside of the laughs, I found this film had better action moments than the previous. An example is an outstanding sword duel at the end of the film. Of course, after an elaborate action scene, the characters have to be thrown into a stupid comedic situation. As a reference, the finale of the film is
horrendous.

I found moments in the film when cords held up Chan and actor Donnie Yen while they were flipping and fighting. The cords aren't visible, but are the same techniques that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) made so famous. I don't know if this was Chan or Dobkin's decision, but I guess they wanted to make the action flashier. One thing that I have always love about Jackie Chan is that all of his stunts and flips are real. This is why I question the use of the cords; maybe it is just the current trend.

Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson still have great
chemistry and deliver the same goods that they did
previously. I have always been a fan of Jackie Chan,
and Owen Wilson is so goofy that you can't help but laugh at him sometimes. Fann Wong had a presence as Chon Wang's sister, and she should return if there is a third installment. Overseas and Iron Monkey (1993) star Donnie Yen makes an appearance as a butt-kicking bad guy. Yen was so good in Iron Monkey and I hope that he gets some better roles in Hollywood films. Aidan Gillen plays a pretty good prick of a bad guy as Rathbone. He reminded me of a young Geoffrey Rush with his slithering charisma.

Shanghai Knights is as most sequels are the same old typical recyclement of the first film. I will say
that if you are a fan of Shanghai Noon, than you
should have no trouble liking Shanghai Knights. Even though there are some dumb moments and an overblown finale, Chan and Wilson's chemistry makes the movie themselves.

Report Card Grade: C+

Joseph Tucker

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