The movie is hardly breathtaking or a completely successful endeavor, but considering what's been stinking up the box office over the recent weeks, it's quite a respectable diversion nonetheless.
Shanghai Knights (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:144
Fresh:94
Rotten:50
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: A silly, anachronistic mess, but the pairing of Chan and Wilson makes the movie fun.
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In this entertaining sequel to SHANGHAI NOON, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) are reunited on an adventure that leads them to Great Britain. Upon hearing of his father's... In this entertaining sequel to SHANGHAI NOON, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) are reunited on an adventure that leads them to Great Britain. Upon hearing of his father's murder in China at the hands of Englishman Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen), Wang leaves his law-enforcing life in Nevada and heads east. In New York City, he tracks down Roy, who now works as a waiter/gigolo. After a close encounter with New York's finest, Wang and Roy travel to London, where they team up with Wang's sister, Lin (Fann Wong), also out to avenge their father's death. Their search uncovers a plot to assassinate the royal family and brings them into contact with many touchstones of turn-of-the-20th-century British culture. A fitting follow-up to Chan and Wilson's first pairing, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS takes the fish-out-of-water element of the original and doubles it, as both Wang and Roy navigate the highs and lows of Victorian London. Chan, as always, astounds with a series of acrobatic fight sequences that involves unusual accessories such as revolving doors, fruit stands, and Chinese vases. And Wilson once again aptly fills the role of the wisecracking opportunist with a conscience who has a wry quip for every occasion. Meanwhile, Fann Wong is luminous as Wang's high-kicking sister; Aidan Gillen sneers superbly as the scheming Rathbone, and Hong Kong legend Donnie Yen makes the most of his small role as Rathbone's co-conspirator. In addition to incorporating Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlie Chaplin, and Jack the Ripper into the story, David Dobkin's amusing film also features knowing nods to SINGING IN THE RAIN and the Harold Lloyd classic SAFETY LAST. [More]
Starring: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Aidan Gillen
Starring: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Aidan Gillen, Tom Fisher, Donnie Yen, Aaron Johnson, Gemma Jones
Director: David Dobkin
Director: David Dobkin
Screenwriter: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman
Composer: Randy Edelman
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Reviews for Shanghai Knights
If you can overlook the ridiculously transparent plot that is about as breakable as a pair of chop sticks then you would come to easily appreciate the razzle-dazzle artistry of this overzealous chop-and-sock kooky comedy
Knights will surely find an enthusiastic following before it gets to video.
Shanghai Knights doesn't have the verve Shanghai Noon did. It's long on attitude and short on plot or characterization.
On the heels of the threadbare Tuxedo, Shanghai Knights confirms there may be a chink in Jackie Chan's armor.
A desperately unfunny action comedy, mirthless not only in its effect on an audience but in its whole aura.
This one seemed longer than before, which might not be the best compliment to the movie, but it gets laughs.
Chan's best and giddiest movie since the original Shanghai Noon in 2000, and maybe even 1994's Drunken Master II.
It's about stunts and gags -- and Shanghai Knights offers the most entertaining collection of any Chan film in years.
The feeling that drives Shanghai Knights is a general love of movie fun.
Shanghai Knights never comes close to the wacky surprise of Shanghai Noon.
This is a movie where you can just sit back and revel in it, warts and all.
Both Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan have done better work. It's called `Shanghai Noon.'
[Chan and Wilson] imbue Shanghai Knights with an aura of collegial high spirits, even when the writers leave them hanging.
Essentially a two-hour Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoon, only without the same rigorous character development, Knights plays to the strengths of its likable leads.
Latest News for Shanghai Knights
July 13, 2006:
Box Office Preview: Dupree and Little Man Bust Into Your Home
A pair of new star-driven comedies will try to steal away some treasure from the record-breaking hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in a laugh-filled battle for the... More...
August 15, 2002:
Nothing shocking, but just the kind of chemistry that made the last installment work just right. ![]()
More...
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