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"'Shanghai'
Surprise"
by Scott Mantz
"Shanghai Noon"
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson
Directed by Tom Dey
"Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid" was more than just a great film. It was the
birth of an era--the "buddy flick" era, that is. Over the years,
Hollywood has had tremendous success toying around with the genre,
ranging from Eastwood and Bridges in "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot"
to Sarandon and Davis in "Thelma and Louise." What it comes down
to is having a charismatic pair and a good story to keep it fresh,
which is certainly one way to describe the paring of hyperactive
funnyman Chris Tucker with martial-arts action superstar Jackie
Chan in "Rush Hour." That film went on to become a huge success
in 1998, so it's no surprise that Chan would choose to replicate
the formula with Owen Wilson in the hilarious and action-packed
"Shanghai Noon."
It's 1881, and
Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu) has been kidnapped from China's Forbidden
City. The Emperor dispatches 3 Imperial Guards to Nevada to get
her back, but a fourth, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan), goes along for
the ride. To say that he doesn't fit in with the rough and tumble
lifestyle of the old west would be a tremendous understatement,
but outlaw Roy O' Bannon (Owen Wilson) decides to help when he finds
there's a ransom containing gold. O'Bannon winds up doing more harm
than good, and he and Wang try to stay one step ahead of O'Bannon's
old gang of train robbers and a corrupt sheriff from Carson City
(Xander Berkeley).
After making
his name in hoards of Asian action vehicles that bore his name,
Jackie Chan has been very smart with his American-produced films.
In "Rush Hour," language and cultural barriers only made Chan and
Chris Tucker compliment each other even more. Chan could easily
have opted to make his second American-produced film a solo vehicle,
but he wisely chose to have more fun pairing off with a US co-star.
Judging by the results of the finished product, it was a wise move.
The cultural trappings add more fun to the banter between Chan and
Wilson, and they make for an immensely appealing dynamic duo.
In addition
to his incredible martial arts skills, Chan also proves to be a
master at comedic timing. His innocent sensibility is a nice match
to his physical talent, keeping him as vulnerable as he is powerful.
That's where Wilson comes in. He looks like he'd be more at home
surfing the open seas than riding the open range. He's so caught
up with the image of being an outlaw that he doesn't realize that
he's just not good at it. After appearing in commercial films with
underwritten roles in "Armageddon" and "The Haunting," Wilson finally
gets a chance to shine in a breakout performance. He's so dim-witted
and charming that you can't help but like him.
After appearing
as a character actor in tons of films ("Apollo 13," "Heat," "Leaving
Las Vegas"), Xander Berkeley seems to be having fun as the mean-spirited
Carson City sheriff out to get Chan and Wilson. He plays up the
western baddie cliche´s, resulting in the type of bad guy
that you love to hate. "Ally McBeal's" Lucy Liu is incredibly beautiful
as Princess Pei Pei, but it's an underwritten role that doesn't
give her much to work with until she displays some martial arts
of her own. Finally, Lo Fong is decent as the evil ex-imperial guard
responsible for Liu's abduction.
The buddy flick
gets a new twist when the old east meets the old west, and it's
an exciting and often funny trip to take. Jackie Chan continues
his domination of the American film market, and Owen Wilson finally
gets the right commercial vehicle to display his appealing and comedic
acting chops. If you're looking for a fresh and funny film that
plays with buddy-flick and cowboy stereotypes, then "Shanghai Noon"
is a nice surprise.
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