Shanghai Knights
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DVD details
Actor: Donnie Yen, Jackie ChanBrand: DIS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-07-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
DVD Reviews of Shanghai Knights
DVD Review: About the same as the first
Summary: 3 Stars
Summary:After their first adventure together, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) find themselves back together to track down the murderer of Wang's father who was the keeper of the Emperor's Seal in China. Wang is told about the murder by his sister, Chon Lin (Fann Wong), who has tracked the murderer to England. When the three of them, Wang, Lin, and Roy, eventually meet up they don't realize that Wang and Lin's father's murder is just part of a much larger plan to dethrone both the emperor of China by his ... half brother, Wu Chow (Donnie Yen), and the Queen of England (Gemma Jones) by her cousin, Lord Nelson Rathbone (Aidan Gillen).
It takes a while for the trio to realize the larger plot in which they have become involved. During that time they are introduced to several famous historical characters: Charlie Chaplin (Aaron Johnson (III)), Artie Doyle - a.k.a. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - (Tom Fisher (I)), and Jack the Ripper (Oliver Cotton). Of course in their attempts to find the seal and save the Royal Family Wang and Lin must battle numerous individuals using their martial arts training while Roy falls madly in love with Lin and is constantly doing his best to fight off urges to become intimate with other women.
In the end Wang, Lin, Roy, Artie, and Charlie save the day; Roy and Lin become a couple; Artie retires from Scotland Yard to write books; and Charlie hitches a ride back to Hollywood with Wang, Lin, and Roy to pursue a career in film.
My Comments:
This is a perfect example of a movie not trying to be anything more than it is - a buddy martial arts/comedy flick with very little character development and a very simple storyline.
The story is pretty straightforward, not particularly complicated, and free from any major plot holes. What's more, the incorporation famous historical characters, which if I remember correctly is also a carryover from the original movie, is actually quite witty and pretty well-done. Undoubtedly there are individuals that will criticize the movie for its almost silly portrayals of these individuals, but I get the distinct impression that silly is what the writers and director were looking for. So, the story can't really be criticized - it delivered exactly what was promised, nothing more, nothing less.
As for the acting... Again, given the set up and the type of movie, it was about what you would expect. The villains were classic villains; the good guys were beset with problems, including romantic relationships that had to be worked out. As a result, the performances don't have to be that good to work for the film. Chan and Wilson continue their successful partnership; Tom Fisher was pretty good as Artie Doyle; and Fann Wong was also decent. The other characters were pretty peripheral, with the exception of the two villains: Donnie Yen and Aidan Gillen. Because the villains did not have to convincingly try to portray a subtle villain, their performances didn't need to be nuanced or particularly convincing. Neither was a memorable villain, but it wasn't really necessary that they be memorable, just adequate for the story.
So, what about the martial arts? They were acceptably innovative. Several new locations were introduced for fights, including a hotel turnabout (door) and an open air 19th century market. There was also an ample amount of comedic integration into the fight sequences as Wang is not interested in killing people (with the exception of Rathbone and Wu Chow) but disabling them. Lin, Wang's sister, is also a good combatant, even giving Jack the Ripper a taste of Chinese martial arts. Overall, the fight sequences aren't anything particularly stunning, but they are satisfactory.
Because these movie closely adheres to the elements that made the first one somewhat successful (e.g. simple characters, simple story, lots of comedy and comedic fighting, etc.), the movie does deliver. Of course, this isn't a movie that is going to go down in history as the best comedy/martial arts duo flick of all time, but neither is it an `I-Spy' disaster that doesn't work at all; it's just somewhere in the middle as an entertaining but not enthralling humorous martial arts film. If you liked the first you'll probably like this one.
Description of Shanghai Knights
Jackie Chan (RUSH HOUR 2) and Owen Wilson (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) jump back in the saddle for SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, the hilarious sequel to the hit action-comedy SHANGHAI NOON. When Chon Wang (Chan) gets news of his estranged father's murder in Shanghai, he leaves his honorable life as Carson City's sheriff in a cloud of dust and reunites with his yarn-spinning sidekick, Roy O'Bannon (Wilson). Together they make their way to London on a daring quest for honor and revenge. Hilarious escapades and hair-raising adventures ensue as our heroes find themselves in the middle of a devious plot to eliminate the entire royal family. And Chon gives Victorian Britain a royal kick in the pants as he tries to avenge his father's death and keep love-struck Roy away from his sister!Better than your average sequel, Shanghai Knights almost defies the law of diminishing returns. Lacking the freshness of Shanghai Noon, it compensates with a looser, disposable plot that plays to the strengths of costars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. It's 1887, and odd-couple heroes Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) are in London to retrieve the Imperial Seal of China, stolen by an English lord (Aidan Gillen) who killed Wang's father in his quest for the British throne. Wang's lithe and lovely sister (Fann Wong) joins the battle with high-kicking force, appealing to Roy's roguish charm and surfer-dude anachronisms. While Chan continues his transition to safer stunts and good-natured homage to Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly, and other Hollywood legends, Wilson indulges the party vibe to good effect, maintaining the anything-goes approach that allows silly encounters with Jack the Ripper, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a Dickensian urchin named Charlie Chaplin. (Chaplin wasn't born until 1889, but if the filmmakers didn't care, why should you?) --Jeff Shannon
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