Shanghai Knights (2003)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

David Dobkin

Writers (WGA):

Alfred Gough (characters) &
Miles Millar (characters) ...

Release Date:

7 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A Royal Kick In The Arse

Plot:

When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | 1880s | Stonehenge | Rescue | Jail

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Chon Wang
Owen Wilson	...	Roy O'Bannon
Fann Wong	...	Chon Lin
Aaron Johnson	...	Charlie Chaplin
Aidan Gillen	...	Lord Nelson Rathbone
Thomas Fisher	...	Insp. Artie Doyle
Donnie Yen	...	Wu Chow
Oliver Cotton	...	Jack the Ripper
Alison King	...	Prostitute
Constantine Gregory	...	The Mayor
Jonathan Harvey	...	Fagin #1
Richard Haas	...	Street Preacher
Anna-Louise Plowman	...	Debutante (as Anna Louise Plowman)
Georgina Chapman	...	Debutante
John Owens	...	Server

Also Known As:

Shanghai Noon 2 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexual content.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Ireland:15 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Action Under Water Studios, Hertford Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

All Knight Productions LLC

Trivia:

Director David Dobkin had a difficult time choosing a suitable Asian actress who could do movement work, emote well and speak decent English. He then saw clips of Fann Wong's videos "Wo lai ye" (2001) and "Qing she yu bai she" (2001) and requested to audition her in London, which she did attend. She subsequently got the role and her number of scenes were increased by 30%.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Roy screams at Lin that there is a "serial killer on the loose" when speaking about Jack the Ripper. Yet the term was not coined until the late seventies by FBI agent Robert Ressler or by Dr. Robert Keppel.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Chon Wang's Father: You are not permitted to gaze at the Imperial Seal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

All Day And All Of The Night

Is Jackie Chan Heading for a Lifetime Achievement Oscar?

Well, a Lifetime Achievement Oscar may be the only category that's open to the aging but impish martial arts virtuoso, Jackie Chan, whose latest series-sequel, "Shanghai Knights" is...excellent, fun, entertaining.

My kid got into Jackie Chan films a while back and we have a half-shelf of $5.99 videotapes of the young Chan. Poorly shot with howlingly funny dubbing they nonetheless catch a Kung-Fu master at the height of his considerable prowess.

Hollywood and Jackie's sincere but imperfect effort at learning English led to a series of films that are high budget such as "Rush Hour" with its sequel and "Shanghai Noon," now followed by this film. Each has a sidekick for the irrepresible Chan but "Shanghai Knights " is the first where the faithful companion is a strong character in his own right.

"Shanghai Knights" begins with the Peking (not Beijing, it's the end of the nineteenth century) murder of Chan's dad and the theft of the Imperial Seal (a device to mark documents, not a pet). Chan is a Nevada sheriff who upon learning of the homicide and theft sets off to New York City to find his pal, played formidably and with evident relish by Owen Wilson.

The duo head for London where an unending series of misadventures brings the heroes, along with Chan's gorgeous and martial arts-skilled sister (Fann Wong) into the path of such diverse characters as little Charlie Chaplin, Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Jack the Ripper and others. Of course all ends well and if the martial arts terpsichore is less breathtakingly complex than its predecessors - well, let's cut Jackie some slack.

The film is PG-13 but Wilson provides a measured but running dose of raunch aided by a bevy of scantily clad beauties. There's no doubt HE had a terrific time making the movie.

Director David Dobkin keeps the pace moving and pays humorous tribute to films and stars from the Gilded Age of the cinema. I won't spoil the amusing surprises but listen to the music as the intrepid trio (sister now a full-fledged partner) waft to and fro in a caricature of nineteenth century London. Sad to say most moviegoers won't recognize the well-executed takeoffs of some great moments in film.

As always, a special Chan treat are the outtakes before the end credits, scenes that prove making these films may not be good for the health of the no-longer-young star or his cast but they all have a blast (literally).

And here's good news for the many who will enjoy this movie. I don't know if there will be a "Rush Hour III" but last week I couldn't get within 150 feet of the venerable Yonah Schimmel's on the Lower East Side's Houston Street. Chan and crew were filming a sequel to this new release - a flunky stopping pedestrian traffic told me the title would be "Shanghai Knish!" I can't wait.

7/10.