Customer Reviews

Shanghai Knights

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson reprise their hit roles from Shanghai Noon for another go around of odd couple-buddy kung fu action-comedy to solid results.

THE STORY:

After receiving word from his sister Lin (Asian Superstar Fann Wong) that their father was killed and the Imperial Seal their family was sworn to protect was stolen, Chon Wang reunites with Roy O'Bannon and heads to England to avenge his father's murder and recover the Imperial Seal. Along the way our heroes find help in the form of a young street thief and a "Scotland Yard detective with a penchant for deduction" and uncover a deadly plot that will change the course of history of both Britain and China if successful. Supporting stories include Roy's growing infatuation with Lin and Jackie playing "overprotective big brother."

THE ANALYSIS:

Like in the Rush Hour series, all the charm and chemistry between Chan and his buddy (in this case Wilson) is preserved. The pair work and play off one another well and it shines through. Wilson's hilarious, laid back delivery style again steals the show and even though he is aging Chan STILL delivers the goods action wise with his trademarked innovative, highly choreographed and amazing fight scenes.

THE SEQUEL:

Like in other "franchises" of late, this particular sequel does borrow and recycle bits from the first installment but does so without making the bits "old" or REALLY feel borrowed. Most notable of the borrowing is the "homage" to history with character name revelations (one REALLY obvious), one not-so-obvious. The other bits of course center around Roy and his usual want for women and the "odd couple" chemistry between Roy and Chon.

BEST SCENES:

- Rescuing Roy from certain death by water

- Sheep scene

- New York hotel fight scene

- Street battle

- Secret room battle

- The End of Credit Bloopers

THE VERDICT:

Overall, fans of the first movie, and Jackie fans in general, will be pleased with this second outing. All the charm you expect from a Chan buddy comedy is still here and the action is as solid as ever. In all you get all the goods you look for in an action-comedy: kick ass fight scenes (the street fight with the umbrella was particularly sweet), solid humor (most of the bits are pretty darn funny) and a pretty nice story of two friends (you can almost feel for Roy when Jackie tells Lin about Roy's "goods.").

In all, this movie came up just at the right time for this time of year considering all the problems going around now. It was the perfect two hour diversion from all the current troubles of the world. Hopefully they'll be another sequel, or we'll just have to wait for Rush Hour 3.

Highly Recommended

I am a BIG fan of action films (Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, Rocky etc.) And I LOVE comedies(Just Married, Riding In Cars With Boys, Bubble Boy etc.) The first time I saw an Owen Wilson was in ANOTHER Jackie Chan film (Around The World In 80 Days, sorry..I'm a MR fan also, er...) But I thought the Wilson brothers were awesomely funny as the Wright Bros. in it...So, within a couple months I was able to face "Shanghai Knights" despite the bad reviews. What caught my eye first was the men in this film, the HOT men in this film. Like Owen Wilson ( cute smile), Aidan Gillian (cute everything), & of course, Tom Fisher (He's soooo innocent). The next thing I loved was the the action, this movie has really AWESOME battle scenes (The battle in London Streets & the swordfight between Chon Wang & Lord Nelson Rathbone). Okay...If you haven't figured out that I'm a girl by now, then your crazy. The next thing I loved was the tender friendship (and I know people are going to say I'm crazy) between Roy & Artie (Okay, just laugh!) But it's true! The final thing that I liked (like every girl fan watching this film) is the romance between Chon's little sister Ling & Roy (awww...L'moure). There is also some very instresting scenes in this film that stand out (namely the scene where the orphan boy reveals himself as a young Charlie Chaplin). The bloopers at the end of this movie are realllly funny (Did you see Owen's face when he dropped the sword? Ha-ha!)! All I am saying is that this movie is good historically, emotionally, comically & romantically. Just drop in & rent this movie (for Owen's sake...?)

Jackie Chan has a leg up on most movie stars: He's got such an ingratiating personality that you can't help but love him, even if the film he's in is less-than-spectacular (like The Tuxedo). I mean, even my Mom, who HATES action films in general, and Martial-Arts films in particular, loves Jackie Chan! And that's saying something....

Shanghai Knights is a VAST improvement on it's predecessor Shanghai Noon. Jackie and Owen Wilson re-team as Chon Wang, A.K.A. "John Wayne" The Shanghai Kid & Roy O'Bannon; Chon's Dad is killed as part of a plot to claim the Thrones of China & England, and he heads off to London (with Roy in tow) to rescue his Sister and avenge his Father. (The gorgeous Fann Wong plays Jackie's sister, and gets to kick a fair amount of butt in the film.) The villains are played by Aiden Gillen, who has an astonishing sword-fighting sequence at the end, and the legendary Donnie Yen, who squares off in an all-too-brief fight against Jackie. (That sequence is the only reason I didn't give Knights 5 Stars- Considering that this is the first on-screen fight between these two giants of Martial Arts-Cinema, the fight is over waaaayyy too soon! Here's hoping we get a rematch some day!) The jokes fly fast-and-furious, and there are some very funny and inspired meetings with some real-life historical figures. (Don't read the cast list, or some of the fun will be spoiled!) Wilson and Chan have a very easy rapport, and their chemistry is better this time around. The action sequences are very fluid; There's a real sense of joy that comes through in Jackie's best fight scenes, and Shanghai Knights is a great example. The "Singing in the Rain" homage is just priceless!

When I heard they were making a sequel to Shanghai Noon, I was less than thrilled; Now I'm counting the days until part three! (And, as usual, don't miss the outtakes at the end!)

I disagree in part to the reviews both positive and negative to this film. Please remember a few things: Chan choregraphed the fight sequences. The whole "in a real fight Yen could beat Chan" comment is flawed: JC was in total control of that fight, and younger vs. older: it doesn't matter. Who wins or loses is a device of the plot. He wins (and I'm not giving anything away; you see as much in the commercials) and the story moves on. The competition is now Matrix-style and Crouching Tiger-style martial arts filmmaking. Once you've opened the CGI-Pandora's-box, how do you compete with that? JC sticks to showing the artistry and physicality of the fight sequences that the outtakes later prove that the actors are actually fighting, and not "helped along" with any kind of flashy, sometimes distracting effects. The trick was to do old-school kung fu in light of the competition and have it work. In this movie, it works really well.

As for JC losing creativity: remember this movie was made with American audiences in mind (think of all the really-corny, lighthearted, stereotyped ethnic jokes, and you can only conclude this was made for Americans). Americans are practically totally ignorant of any other movie JC has ever done outside of the Rush Hours. What movie hasn't recycled some of their better moments--especially sequels? Parts of the opening fight sequence were lifted from Rush Hour-2; parts of the end fight sequence was lifted from Shanghai Noon. They worked; they were memorable moments. Bring them back to refresh audiences' memories. The creativity comes from the situation and the scene.

And all Jackie Chan movies have outtakes; they're not "beginning" to become signatures. They're a legitimate part of the movie--the only thing new about JC's outtakes is that they've stopped running credits over them.

The movie has action. The movie has broad comedy. The movie takes the formula and chemistry and runs with it. It's totally different than anything out right now, and it's fun and well worth seeing.

In Shanghai Knights, Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon find themselves teaming up again, but this time there is no princess to rescue. Instead, they head out to London to track down the person that murdered Wang's father, and to retrieve the imperial seal that was stolen from the Forbidden City. With the assistance of Wang's beautiful and resourceful sister Lin, they eventually uncover a conspiracy that will affect the power structure of the East and the West if it is allowed to succeed. Foreigners in a strange land, the dynamic duo must once more rely on Wang's quick hands and Roy's charming wits, not to mention the help of a few friendly natives, to complete their mission.

A relatively standard buddy film, Shanghai Knights follows the same winning formula with Chan handling the fights and Wilson cracking the jokes. The two of them definitely seem more comfortable around each other the second time around, and as a result the movie benefits from the familiarity between the leads. The Chinese-Singaporean singer Fann Wong plays Chon Lin, relatively new to the cinema, she does a good job in the role of Wang's sister and as Roy's love interest, she also got the opportunity to kick a few butts at the same time. Donnie Yen is again underused as the exiled renegade Wu Chan, and even though he is very convincing as a villain, the short screen time he has doesn't even begin to demonstrate his versatility as an actor much less an accomplished martial artist. Lastly, Aidan Gillen's portrayal of Rathbone is surprisingly likeable, rather than the stereotypical evil mastermind we are so used to seeing in action comedies these days.

Fans of Jackie Chan should be happy to know that he had abandoned the wire works and special effects recently seen in The Tuxedo, and had gone back to the traditional stunts he is known for. Unfortunately, the best match up in the movie, between Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, happens to be one of the shortest fights. I cannot help but wonder if this was a Hong Kong production, we probably would've been treated with a 3 to 5 minute worth of uninterrupted kung fu goodness. Even so, Chan does have an incredible showdown at the end with Aidan Gillen, the sword action is fast and furious, and should be a treat to all action enthusiasts.

Overall, the pacing of the movie is pretty good, although there are a few parts that seem to drag on endlessly, especially the opening scene in New York. Shanghai Knights is an enjoyable film that aims to entertain, it is for sure a fun ride, but I find the humor and the jokes aren't as sharp as the ones in Rush Hour, probably because Owen Wilson lacks the spontaneity of Chris Tucker. Oh yeah, don't forget to catch the blooper clips right before the credits, they are good for a few laughs.

Shanghai Knights, brings to the screen the continuing adventures of Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon. Picking up a few years after Shanghai Noon, the amazing duo heads to London, England, in an effort to retrieve the Imperial Seal of China and avenge Wang's father's death. The story gets a bit more complicated when all is not as it seems in 19th Century England...
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong (who is GORGEOUS!!!), and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows allowing for a highly entertaining movie that can be watched over and over again.
The plot, the setting, the dialogues, the humor, and the music are all EXCELLENT.
In short, Shanghai Knights is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection! 4½ Stars

Introduction

The movie"Shanghai Knights",directed by David Dobkin,is a funny and adventurous movie which you can watch if you had nothing to do.

The Plot

A chinese reble murdered John's(Jackie Chan)father and escapes to England.Now john and his friend,Roy(Owen Wilson),are going to London to get revenge for killing John's father.John and Roy met John's sister,Lin,while on the way and the three of them were going to get revenge together.Lin uncovered a worldwide conspiracy to murder the royal family but no one believe her.

My Opinion

The movie is very funny when John use an umbrella to hit his enemies and uses a lemon and spueezes the juices at one of his enemies eyes.

The Final Comments

I will give 4 out of 5 becaues it is very funny and I can assure you that you won't reget watching it.

The lenght of the movie is about 1hour45minute.

Rating Category

PG

Shanghai Knights is the sequel to the 2000 suprise hit Shanghai Noon. While probably not AS funny or original as it's predecessor, it's still a fun romp. Shanghai Knights is done in more of a swashbuckling mood than Noon. While much of the fighting in Noon involved guns, in Shanghai Knights, it mostly involves swords, and of course, kung fu. Shanghai Knights tells the story of Chon and Roy going to England in order to catch his father's murderer and stop the aforementioned murderer from eliminating the entire royal family. While most sequels fail (Spider-man 2, anyone?) this one just about captures the fun attitude and feel of the first one. Great fun for everyone.

The chemistry between Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson plus the stupendous battle scenes, culminating in a whopper on Big Ben, help elevate SHANGHAI KNIGHTS to an enjoyable film. Not quite as out and out hilarious as its prequel, KNIGHTS nevertheless uses its comic touches to advantage. We get Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Charlie Chaplin; even Jack the Ripper in this anacrhonistic hodgepodge of lunacy. QUEER AS FOLKS' Aidan Gillen is a dashing and vile nemesis for our heroes, and demure and lovely Fann Wong lights up the screen with her combination of ferocity and naivete. The out of time soundtrack including WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL and ENGLAND SWINGS reinforces this movie's breezy tribute to modern times as well. There's also an innovative tip of the hat to Gene Kelly and SINGIN IN THE RAIN. SHANGHAI KNIGHTS is definitely not classic material, but it's an entertaining ninety minutes of foolishness.

Hanging from the minute hand of Big Ben, Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) must try to descend Big Ben with the aid of the Union Jack hanging right below them. So, it's another vertical red carpet exit for Jackie Chan. Looking for some vintage Chan movies, I was directed to Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights by someone knowledgeable about Jackie Chan. It seems the consensus is that this one is o.k., not as good as some of his others. Chan's movies have many scenes that will leave you chuckling over them long after their end; in that respect, they remind me a lot of Charlie Chaplin's productions. Charles Chaplin appears in this movie as a London street urchin who steals O'Bannon's pocket watch. The movie takes place during 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, two years before Chaplin's birth to an impoverished London couple. So some of the historical details are accurate, some anachronistic. (Also, the boxer rebellion didn't take place until 1900). Chon Wang, the former Chinese Imperial Guard, leaves his Sheriff's post in Carson City, Nevada to find his father's killers who also have made off with the Emperor's Official Seal. So, much is at stake which Wang's sister realizes and takes it upon herself to go to London to find the murderers and the Seal. The flirtatious O'Bannon woos Wang's sister, and Wang, understandably, given what you know of O'Bannon's character from Shanghai Noon, tries to discourage his sister from reciprocating. "He pays women to sleep with him!", Wang tells his sister. There is some content in this movie I could do without, but it is really not too offensive. Overall, I do like the movie. And like Charlie Chaplin movies, so far, for Jackie Chan movies, I love them all!