Jackie Chan turns action scenes into dance-like comedic segments
Jackie Chan is the Energizer Bunny of action heroes – a resourceful stuntman/choreographer/martial artist whose characters keep going no matter how many outlandishly exhausting beatings they take. That’s readily apparent in “Shanghai Knights,” a $50 million sequel to the modest hit “Shanghai Noon” (2000), which originally teamed the 48-year-old Hong Kong superstar with easygoing 34-year-old American actor Owen Wilson (“Zoolander”).
As an action star, Chan is the polar opposite of the late, great Bruce Lee.
While Lee staged his blazing hand-to-hand battles in a hard-edged manner in which his lethal characters inflicted maximum damage, Chan has always added a lighter tone and employed props such as ladders, poles and chairs to lengthen his fights and transform them into dance-like comedic segments.
That soft approach has transformed Chan into a global star (complete with his
own toy line), and those captivated by the affable performer’s stunt-laden combat scenes should have fun during “Shanghai Knights.” Hardcore fans of martial arts movies, however, will be disappointed by the misuse of intense Hong Kong favorite Donnie Yen (“Iron Monkey”), a terrifically talented performer whose climactic battle with Chan lacks sufficient impact.
The slim plot for the PG-13 picture has Chon Wang (Chan) traveling to Victorian-era London to avenge the murder of his father by British villain Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen of “Some Mother’s Son”).
He’s soon joined by his frontier buddy, Roy O’Bannon (Wilson), and his karate-kicking sister, Lin (Singapore native and Asian recording star Fann Wong).
Not surprisingly, the quest for vengeance merely serves as a build-up to the final battle. That results in the two mismatched frontier friends ending up on the face of Big Ben and holding on for their lives as the minute and hour hands of the massive clock place them in increasingly precarious positions.
As a buddy picture, “Knights” scores some points, especially due to the enjoyable lackadaisical performance by Wilson, who’s so laid-back he makes Dean Martin look like Jim Carrey.
Although the PG-13 picture never ranks as a great comedy or a terrific action picture, it has enough of each element to make fans of the series hope they will get “Shanghai”-ed again in the near future.
FILM REVIEW
“Shanghai Knights”
Grade: B-
Starring: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Aidan Gillen and Donnie Yen; screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who also penned the original; produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman; directed by David Dobkin.
Running Time: 107 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 (action violence, sexual content).