"People are dying for a good action picture," says Roy O'Bannon, played by Owen Wilson ("Shanghai Noon," "The Royal Tenenbaums").
Directed by David Dobkin, "Shanghai Knights" delivers exactly what it promises, including unparalleled martial arts moves and sidesplitting laughs. Jackie Chan shows off his usual expertise, this time as John Wayne, a sheriff from Nevada who seeks to avenge his father's murder and recover the Imperial Seal. The seal, China's symbolic diamond that is "as big as a monkey's ball," represents the Emperor's power.
Teaming up for the sequel to "Shanghai Noon," this unlikely pair follows John's "really, really hot, confused, Chinese" sister Lin (Fann Wong) to England. Chasing Rathbone (Aidan Gillen), the murderer on the loose, Lin seeks to fulfill her father's dying wish of retrieving the seal.
Once in England, the men meet an Oliver Twist-style pickpocket named Charlie Chaplin (Aaron Johnson III). At first a pocket watch-stealing orphan, Charlie turns out to be a clever ally to the men. Delivering his help with doses of laughter, Detective Arthur Doyle (Tom Fisher) also makes it his personal goal to help out the pair.
Rathbone (a "tea-drinking psycho") and his co-conspirator Wu Yip (Donnie Len) fight to protect the seal, hoping - among other things - to obtain the throne of England and unite the Chinese Emperor's enemies.
The opposing sides battle everywhere. The Jubilee Ball, a wax museum, boats, rooftops and a clock tower are only some of the many battlegrounds. Not to mention the weaponry, which ranges from fruit, books and umbrellas to the newly developed machine gun. Packed with fancy footwork, including John's "Singing in the Rain"-style medley atop crates, the stunts are original and dangerous. Another scene depicts John juggling priceless vases, using them to confuse and disorient his opponents.
Many scenes involve people fighting at great heights on small pieces of flooring. John and Roy are also threatened with prison, fire and plunged into the water.
In addition to the jaw-dropping stunts, the beginnings of a love affair are tested by the overprotective John, who describes Roy to Lin as "Roy O'Baloney" and the "type of friend you don't introduce to other friends and don't bring home to your family." These hurtful words put the friendship to test between the "30-year-old waiter, gigolo" and the "little Chinese otter."
A series of duels mark the finale of this entertaining escapade. The ending is a "blast," filled with fireworks, machine guns and heroism.
Filled with shots of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Stonehenge, the script is filled with jabs at English culture.
"They're just sore losers," Roy says of the English, going on to call them "a bunch of amateurs ... driving on the wrong side of the road."
The audience can't help becoming teary-eyed with laughter when John dresses up as an Indian Maha Raja, and a Jubilee Ball waiter offers Roy a cake-like dessert with the words, "spotted dick, sir?"
Roy is the clown of the movie, flawlessly spitting out lines like, "I've just been violated by a barnyard animal." Conversely, John constantly saves oblivious Roy while Lin, the "beautiful lotus blossom," demolishes enemies while maintaining her attractiveness and femininity.
The combination of butt-kicking action, hilarious hijinks, lusty "Looney Lin" and the moral lesson of family honor ensures that this film offers something for everyone. "Shanghai Knights" is without a dull moment, including Jackie Chan's trademark credits, outtakes and all.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
