Jackie Chan, after the success of Rush Hour, makes another American-made and mainstream movie, this time it's done with a western twist. Chan plays Chon Wang (sounds like John Wayne), an imperial guard of China who travels to Carson City in 1881 to rescue the kidnapped princess. This isn't easy because he's in a strange country so he teams up with a mild mannered outlaw, played by Owen Wilson. The pair of Chan and Wilson doesn't work like peanut butter and jelly as the director hoped for. The plot is thin and dry but the ample comedy and stylish karate chops make up for it. Shanghai Noon is pretty good for a western/comedy/martial arts (if you can think what such a genre could be like)!
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Starring:
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu, Brandon Merrill, Roger Yuan, Xander Berkeley, Rong Guang Yu, Cui Ya Hi, Eric Chi Cheng Chen, Walton Goggins, P. Adrien Dorval, Rafael Baez
Directed by:
Tom Dey
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2000 martial arts/comedy
Rated PG-13
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Don Ignacio's score: B