Shanghai Knights (2003)
cast: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Donnie Yen, Aidan Gillan, Fann Wong, Tom Fisher,
and Aaron Johnson
director: David Dobkin

Jackie Chan's listed as the star of "Shanghai Knights," but he's every bit of a Tonto to Owen Wilson's Lone Ranger. Ironically, both actors spend a significant amount of screen time arguing over who is the other's sidekick, when it's obvious that Chan plays second fiddle here as ethnic relief.

I wasn't a fan of "Shanghai Noon" for several reasons; however, I wanted to start over fresh with the sequel. "Shanghai Knights" begins in China, and then briefly checks up on the characters in the Old West, before heading to London.

It's evident now that both Chan and Wilson, along with a fresh supporting cast, are in on the joke, especially Wilson, whose Roy O'Bannon character is so laid-back he borders on self-parody.

Both O'Bannon and Chon Wang (Chan) are fish-out-of-water abroad in London to rescue Wang's sister Lin (Singaporean television star Fann Wong), the sole witness to their father's murder in China at the hands of a smarmy Royal, Lord Nelson Rathbone (Gillian). Dubbed "Looney Lin" by the press Wang's sister is behind bars at Scotland Yard where she will soon become an unwilling participant in the Lord's plot to assassinate nine members of the Royal Family to achieve his seat on the thrown.

Aside from the script, one of the reasons I disliked "Shanghai Noon" as much as I did, was because it moved at a snail's pace, especially Yuen Biao's choreography. Here, Chan picks up the reins and does a significantly better job directing himself and others, though much of Chan's theatrics remain standard outside of a nod to "Singin' in the Rain."

Nevertheless, like "Shanghai Noon," its sequel seems trapped in a time warp where actors Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson appear to be walking around as themselves in a century old setting. The charade grows tired quickly when Owen Wilson refers to a line from "Midnight Cowboy" and the soundtrack (once again) inappropriately relies heavily on modern music ("My Generation," "All Day and All of the Night").

This, of course, in addition to O'Bannon and Wang running into none other than the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack the Ripper, and Queen Victoria, none of which provide even the slightest moment of entertainment.