Cast: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Donnie Yen, Aaron Johnson, Aiden Gillen, Tom Fisher
Director: David Dobkin
Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman
Screenplay: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle, Harvey Harrison
Music: Randy Edelman
U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Shanghai Knights belongs in the good news/bad news category. The good news is that a Hollywood production has actually made decent use of Jackie Chan's ability to mingle comedy and martial arts. The bad news is that's just about all Shanghai Knights has going for it. To date, this arguably represents the best recent English language film Chan has done – which isn't saying much. (It beats out two Rush Hour movies, Shanghai Noon, and the lamer-than-lame The Tuxedo – not exactly strong competition.)
Shanghai Knights doesn't overpower with kung-fu style action, but that's understandable given Chan's advancing age. Nevertheless, some of the fight scenes entertain not because of their extreme derring-do, but because they employ strong doses of comedy and invention to go along with the martial arts. Take one sequence, for example, where Chan's Chon Wang flees from a group of Keystone Kops through a revolving glass door. One can almost see the ghost of Charlie Chaplin by his side. Or a scene where Chan fights a battle to the tune of "Singin' in the Rain" while using an umbrella as a weapon. Stuff like this is so good that it's impossible to completely pan Shanghai Knights. But it also makes you realize how sub-par most of the other material is.
The movie has a plot that would make Swiss cheese seem unperforated. Chon is re-united with his former sidekick, Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), and, together, the two of them head off to merry old England, where Chon's sister, Lin (Singapore pop star sensation Fann Wong), is tracking down the killer of Chon's father. In London, Chon, Roy, and Lin end up in the middle of a dastardly plot spearheaded by the power-mad Rathbone (Aiden Gillen) to kill off the Royal family and put himself on the throne. Helping him is Wu Yip (Donnie Yen), who has designs on the emperorship of China. Aiding the goody guys are a bumbling Scotland Yard detective, Doyle (Tom Fisher), and a street urchin, Charlie (Aaron Johnson).
The camaraderie between Chan and Wilson is less forced during this go-around than it was in Shanghai Noon, and Fann Wong is an upgrade over Lucy Liu. The levels of comedy and action have both been ratcheted up, yet, despite those improvements, Shanghai Knights doesn't come across as being much better. The problem is the storyline. While one might reasonably argue that few people attending this movie will care much about the plot, the connecting material is too feeble to be summarily ignored. Too many things in this movie don't work. And there are "clever" bits – such as revelations about Charlie and Doyle – that are a little too cute. Given a more credible narrative that cared a little about the characters, Shanghai Knights could have been solid entertainment. As it is, it ranks no higher than a passable diversion.
Yet, for all its minuses, the movie still has Chan, and, even when he's not in peak form, he's still a force to be reckoned with. Director David Dobkin understands the actor's charm – he gives him a fair amount of latitude in choreographing the action scenes. Those who enjoyed the original Shanghai Noon will doubtless appreciate what this lightweight follow-up has to offer. And, for those who still have a bitter taste in their mouth following The Tuxedo, this is Chan's chance for redemption. All things considered, however, Shanghai Knights is pretty mediocre entertainment, and probably better suited for home viewing than a trip to the multiplex.
© 2003 James Berardinelli