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I have often said that entertainment value was one of the most
important factors for me in rating a movie. Shanghai Noon is
a classic example of this. For despite the fact that it has
a plot like Swiss cheese, it so charming and enjoyable that
I can't help rating it highly.
The story, for what it's worth, is set in the 1880s. Chon Wang
(Jackie Chan) is an inept Imperial Guard in China's Forbidden
City. After the princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu) is kidnapped and
taken to America, Wang and three other guards are sent to retrieve
her. Whilst on a train to Carson City, Wang is separated from
the other guards and runs into New Age train robber Roy O'Bannen
(Owen Wilson). Despite major ideological clashes, these two
become reluctant partners in the quest to find the princess
(a bit like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Star Wars). Along
the way, they get caught up in all sorts of misadventures including
a bar brawl, a jail break, and the inevitable High Noon style
duel. Somehow, Wang even manages to pick up a Native American
wife (who conveniently vanishes when not required, only to show
up again at the most opportune moments!)
This film has all the usual Jackie Chan high jinks. Classic
scenes include fighting off native warriors using living foliage
and using moose antlers in a bar fight. How this guy keeps going
at age 46 is a mystery, but it's damn exciting to watch.
The added bonus in this movie is Owen Wilson. His self interested
but sensitive new age cowboy character is played with amazing
charm and is the perfect foil to fill in the gaps while you're
waiting for more of Chan's martial arts mayhem. Most of the
time, this banter is gently poking fun at cherished Western
clichés. Funniest line? When Wang offers to pretend to
be sick in order to attract the attention of the jail warden,
O'Bannen replies 'Does the old sick prisoner routine still work
in China? Because it's been done to death here'. It is this
subtle humour that makes Shanghai Noon more endearing than the
'in your face' style of Chris Tucker in Rush Hour.
Other than Wang and O'Bannen, the other characters are almost
non existent, but that (along with the silly plot) doesn't really
matter because this film was never designed to be taken seriously.
In the same way, nobody should get offended by the highly stereotyped
Chinese and Native American characters.
Overall, a silly movie, but loads of fun.
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