Shanghai Knights Review
by Ronald O. Christian (ronc AT europa DOT com)March 10th, 2003
Shanghai Knights (2003)
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong
Two stars of five
So Friday we decided we needed a dinner and movie night. Dinner was a cute little Art Deco restaurant, and the film was Shanghai Knights, Jackie Chan's latest Hollywood release. Daughter had been looking forward to the film, as she really like Jackie Chan, and, incidentally, any film where a young woman kicks serious ass.
In stark contrast to his Hong Kong productions, Jackie Chan's American movies seem to be stuck in a rut. Chan plays an harassed, expert something-or-other on a mission, teamed for God only knows what reason with an ineffectual loudmouth American who gets in his way at every opportunity. Repeat in endless sequels until the audience dies of ennui.
The latest effort being Shanghai Knights, which, it turns out, is only the first sequel to 2002's Shanghai Noon, and not the third sequel to Rush Hour (1998). I get the two franchises confused because they're exactly the same. Sorry, I should say that they borrow liberally from each other. Oh, let's face it: They're exactly the same. They borrow so many stunts, situations, and even outtakes from each other that some amount of confusion is inevitable.
It is stylish to talk about how Jackie Chan has aged and how he isn't making the films he used to make. I'm unwilling to go there, partly because he's only a few months older than I and partly because he still gets more genuinely physical onscreen at 49 than virtually any other American actor of any age.
Still, the choreography of Shanghai Knights is genuinely superior to Shanghai Noon. Director David Dobkin isn't afraid to pull back to middle distance and let you see Chan operate, in stark contrast to the frantic quick-cut extreme-closeup shaky-cam that ruined most of Chan's stunts in the first film. The stunts in Knights are worth seeing. If only that were true for the rest of the film.
Let's be honest -- does anyone *not* find Owen Wilson extremely annoying? I mean, is he just like that in real life or does he do it on purpose?
It's not just that his character is a perennial screw-up with absolutely no redeeming characteristics, and not even that he stops the film cold at every opportunity for yet another rendition of what can only be called "the white version of shuckin' and jivin'", it's that he speaks soooooooo slloooowwwwwwlllllyyy while he's making an ass out of himself that you're fairly confident you can get to the bathroom and back before he finishes boring the audience into early retirement. He's like Chris Tucker with a dead battery. You get bored waiting for him to finish annoying you.
Yes, I'm aware that Wilson is very popular with the ladies. He plays smug, pretty, ineffectual, unreliable, dishonest characters, everything you ever wanted in a first husband.
(Ok, let's cast the Movie From Hell: a buddy movie with lots of interaction between Wilson and some other relentless screw-off. Oops, it's already been made. It was called I Spy.)
In grateful contrast, model/actress/singer/world traveler Fann Wong is athletic, intensely beautiful, wonderfully poised, and lights up every scene she occupies. Watching her lick Wilson's face in this decade's obligatory concussion-induced hallucination is nearly worth the price of admission. (You get to see it again in the outtakes.)
Aidan Gillen is excellent as the English uber-villain, playing it absolutely straight, with no mugging or over-the-top hijinks. There isn't the slightest question that he gives Chan back his sword in the climatic fight scene not from a sense of fairness but a desire to humiliate. Donnie Yen is intense and capable, if a bit brief, as the Chinese villain.
Chan is at his most funny as a straight man; being serious in funny circumstances. Someone needs to tell him that we're not exactly breaking out in gales of laughter when he purses his lips and waggles his head. Stick with what you do well, Jackie. Please.
You liked the historical references of Shanghai Noon? Knights is just choc full of 'em. To the point where they get really annoying. I had to keep reminding myself that I was watching a kung-fu film and not some demented Forest Gump on acid. The only reference that was even remotely funny was the near-accidental final resolution of Jack the Ripper. (I always wondered about that....)
In summary, Shanghai Knights is definitely a mixed bag. Great stunts, a good job by Chan, a wonderful screen presence by Wong, excellent villain portrayals by Yen and Gillen, somewhat ruined by too many cute historical references, an extremely unlikable character in Owen Wilson, and a bit too much mugging between Wilson and Chan.
Embarrassing in parts, boring in parts, and really thrilling in parts. Cut about 15 minutes of childish hambone exposition and you'd really have something. At least, it wasn't as painful to watch as The Tuxedo.
Two stars of five. Would have been three, if the blond sidekick had been practically anyone else.
Ron
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
