When watching Shanghai Knights,
I noticed its obvious stupidity, terrible writing, and dumbfounded
soundtrack. At times, I even wanted to leave. But the likeability of
48 year-old kung-fu star, Jackie Chan, is so great that it makes any
film lively and fun. Chan doesn’t do all of his own stunts anymore,
because of his obvious aging, but we know that he is still ripping
and roaring. The fight scenes are what save Shanghai
Knights from being instantly forgettable, and turn it in to a
full-fledged extravaganza. It’s dumb and silly, but is almost
always, in some way, amusing to watch. Owen Wilson also loans his
excellent taste in comedy to the film, which makes the utterly
despicable script, funny. Wilson and Chan are one of the best
pairings I have seen in recent years. I’m not sure that
Knights can measure up to its predecessor,
Noon, but is
still a hell of a time.
A continuum off of the
first film, Shanghai Knights opens up to a unique
style, that most mainstream releases are lacking. It is sensibly
corny, taking on the appearance of an ancient oriental ritual, but
helps us get into the mood of the show. In this clinching opener,
the father of Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) is killed by the man 10th
in line to be the king of
England. Chon does not
know of this death, because he lives far away from his family’s
homeland,
China. He is a sheriff
in old-western
Nevada. He is finally notified
when a package from his sister, Chon Lin (Fann Wong), arrives in the
mail, informing him of the death. The reason this man murdered Wang
and Lin’s father was because he was the bearer of the Great Seal of
China. After putting a sword through this guardian’s stomach, the
man was able to steal the seal. In the letter that Wang receives
from Lin, it states that she is going to try to find and kill their
father’s murderer, who has made his way back to
England. For the love of
his family, Wang must travel there, too.
In order to get to
England, Wang must first
stop in
New York, to seek help from his
old partner, Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson). According to
Roy, he has invested all of the
money that he and Wang received in Shanghai Noon in
long-term stocks and bonds. But, little did Wang know, he would come
across a little surprise when visiting
Roy in
New York. This former cowboy,
that he once knew, is now a lowly and almost broke waiter who relies
on hookers to make him happy. Without the proper funds that Wang
thought that he had, that would allow him to travel to
England, there is almost
no hope in seeking revenge on the man that painfully abolished his
father’s soul. But, relying on the stupidity of
Roy, Wang and his old pal safely
make their way to
London by traveling as stowaways
on a ship. There, they team up with Lin, and begin their quest for
revenge. The poorly written dialogue, along with the airy plot,
would seem unbearable. But, Chan and Wilson transform the otherwise
hopeless Shanghai Knights, into an above average treat.
The soundtrack is about
the most offbeat, non-rhythmic bunching of songs I have ever heard
in my life. It is not so much that the musical cuts themselves don’t
have taste, but combined with the onscreen action, they feel forced
and extremely out of place. They are so unfitting, it’s almost like
watching explicitly heavy rap play in the background of an episode
of Barney. We hear dance music playing during the kung-fu battles,
and kung-fu music playing during dances. If the film wasn’t coming
from a major production studio, I would’ve thought that the amateur
team mismatched the music and the scenes, and didn’t have enough
time to fix their mistake before release. This problem literally
becomes annoying, and again, without the incredible charm of Wilson
and Chan, it would’ve otherwise screwed the
entire movie over. Shanghai Knights is full of
noticeable errors, like this one, but its funny material overpowers
its flaws.
The terrible writing is
persistently annoying, but the hilarious men who mouth it make the
entire film worthwhile. Jackie Chan has a certain presence that
astounds me, and keeps me captivated. And despite the unsaveable
Rush Hour 2, I have liked every other film he’s been in
(but I never saw The Tuxedo). He and Wilson share
stupid lines, full of shameless sentences comprised of shaky
wording, but make them very interesting with their extreme talent.
Even though it has a despicable script, Shanghai Knights
works with what it has, and does so fairly well. This could be
referred to as another one of those big-budget, disappointing
sequels, but I’d like to appreciate what it has to offer for the
moment. This is really the first film, I would recommend that anyone
see in 2003. Maybe I only like it because of the incredibly dull
competition. Shanghai Knights is a blend of comedy,
kung-fu, and charm, which is extremely likeable when you’re watching
it, but will never be remembered. The most accurate description of
why I would recommend it dates back to a Buddhist philosophy. “Live
in the moment.”
-Danny, Bucket Reviews