neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Shanghai Knights
	David Dobkin Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Aaron Johnson, Thomas Fisher, Aidan Gillen, Fann Wong, Donnie Yen 2003		Jackie Chan's U.S. film career hasn't measured up to the string of buoyant Hong Kong action comedies that made his global reputation. But "Shanghai Knights," a sequel to "Shanghai Noon" that reteams him with laconic Owen Wilson, ranks as Chan's best, funniest Hollywood film. Wang (Chan), an ex-member of the Chinese Imperial Guard, has relocated to the Old West in the late 1800s. When his father dies protecting the Emperor's seal in China and his sister goes to England to get revenge on the killer and recover the artifact, Wang seeks help from his buddy, self-centered cowboy Roy (Wilson). They sail to London and uncover a plot that may topple two empires. Chan and Wilson evoke the comedic rapport of Hope & Crosby and Abbott & Costello, aided by a crackerjack script with wry historical references. An aging Chan still manages to combine Bruce Lee's martial-arts expertise and Buster Keaton's acrobatic slapstick into one appealing package. Chan's Hong Kong peer Donnie Yen ("Iron Monkey") plays a villain, so their fight choreography is up to snuff. The western-fu, anachronistic dialogue and Brit-rock song cues add to the merriment.