Shanghai Knights

What's the Plot?

Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) has settled down as a respectable sheriff in Carson City since his adventure with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) ended. Life is calm for Chon, with all "Wanted" criminals captured. However, his life is about to be turned upside down when he receives word from his sister, Lin (Fann Wong) in Shanghai that their father has been murdered whilst trying to protect The Royal Seal of the Emperor. Lin has tracked down the killer and believes him to be in London, England. Chon heads off to New York to meet up with his old pal Roy to claim back his half of the gold they got from their last adventure to get him passage to London. Despite the fact that Roy has squandered most of the money, the two make their way to London where both now find themselves strangers in a strange land. After a series of misunderstandings, the two meet up with Lin who has been arrested for trying to kill Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen) - the 10th in line for the throne and the killer of their father. Now all they have to do is prove that Rathbone is not what he appears to be, retrieve The Royal Seal, avenge their father's death and save The Royal Family from a massacre. No problem then for these particular tourists!

Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) just hanging around

The Review

Shanghai Noon was an enjoyable romp which showed that Jackie Chan could work the "buddy" film with not only Chris "fast talking" Tucker - Rush Hour 1 and 2 - but with Owen "slow drawl" Wilson as well. However, what it also shows is that a good film doesn't guarantee a good sequel. As with a lot of film follow-up's, Shanghai Knights has a rushed and a far too lax feel to it. Yes, the partnership and interplay between the two main leads was partly what made the first one as engaging as it did, but that doesn't mean that the film makers should let the entire second outing rest upon that alone.

Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson)

Chan is still adorably likeable and continues to play his "kung fu" card with a child-like innocence - he only seems to defend himself and never appears to harm his opponents - but at the end he does get to do a more "serious" fight against his father's killer which is a welcome change from the overall slap-stick feel. While Chan still holds the flag high, the same cannot be said about his co-star. Wilson, the ultimate slacker, this time round has an un-explained edge to himself - in the out-takes he even says that one of his lines is quite nasty - which just doesn't seem to fit in with the mood of their previous outing. It almost feels like Wilson adlibbed through the whole shoot with half of his wise cracks falling way short of the mark.

Lin (Fann Wong), Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson)

The other thing that falls rather flat is the constant reference to other movies: the Big Ben finale from The 39 Steps gets a large imitation; the flag ripping escape scene from James Bond's Tomorrow Never Dies is ripped off; the secret room behind the fireplace from Indiania Jones And The Last Crusade and an admittedly funny Singing In The Rain homage gets a look-in as well. These modern references along with songs such as My Generation and Time Of The Season don't gel with the1887 time period. Overall, the film feels rushed like a lot has ended up on the cutting room floor to bring the film in at a reasonable running time and the biggest worry should be when a movie's out-takes over the end credits are the best bit of the entire time. Shame really.