Review

Review Date: 9-February-03
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Shanghai Knights (2003)

"This country blows."

Thus does Roy O'Bannon --- the shaggy, towheaded lesser half from 2000's surprise buddy hit "Shanghai Noon" --- express his opinion of England in the new sequel "Shanghai Knights," and gosh if it ain't downright hilarious. The joke of the roguish cowboy using 21st century slang in Victorian England may rely on silly stereotypes and generalities (as most modern humor does), but when delivered by the comfortably and attractively ridiculous Owen Wilson, it really hits the funny bone. While I doubt that Wilson's doofus surfer schtick will have as long a shelf life as co-star Jackie Chan's graceful take on Mighty Mouse, neither one is anywhere near stale yet. "Shanghai Knights" is an upbeat, action-packed, rollicking good romp that's better than the first.

The fish-out-of-water premise of the original movie focused on Chan as Imperial Chinese guard Chon Wang visiting the Old West; but this time around both Wang and American bad boy O'Bannon are out of their element when they head to London to avenge the theft of a precious Chinese artifact and the murder of Wang's father by the power-hungry Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen, a young Alec Baldwin by way of Edward Burns). Roy and Wang are aided in their overseas quest by an inspector from Scotland Yard and a cute, Artful Dodger-like street urchin, as well as Wang's little sister Lin (Fann Wong), who is, of course, both beautiful and expert in kicking ass. The movie runs pretty much as you'd expect: lots of ribald goofiness from Wilson, lots of fabulously choreographed fight scenes with Chan and his many props, the requisite romantic subplot, and a veritable Dumb American's Tour of Things British, including bad food, bad teeth, Beefeaters, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, Madame Tussaud's, Queen Victoria, and Big Ben. But although it's predictable, loud, and simplistic, the movie never feels sloppy, and it brims with such genuine good humor that you'd have to be dry as a scone to quibble with a few plot holes and lame attempts at sentimentality. The one area where "Shanghai Knights" suffers has more to do with bad timing than poor quality: the big finale between Wang and Rathbone is diminished by its similarity to the superior swordfighting scene in "Die Another Day" (which also features a sniveling British megalomaniac as a sort of front man for an Asian villain --- apparently Hollywood has decided that it's safer to pick on our allies in this era of highly charged political and nationalistic sensitivity).

Although it's meant to be just a lark, the writers and director of "Shanghai Knights" seem to take their work seriously (giving the movie a jaunty vibe and a smart look) and to really love what they're doing (playfully riffing on everything from "Star Wars" to Indiana Jones to "Singin' in the Rain," which latter tribute surely reflects Chan's personal touch). Their sincere efforts, along with the highly individual but complementary charms of Wilson and Chan, go a long way toward proving that light, action-oriented entertainment doesn't have to be a shoddy, brain-dead, or heartless affair. Britain and its evil megalomaniacs may blow, but "Shanghai Knights" most certainly does not.

Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.