Shanghai Knights
The dynamic duo of Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon return for another crazy adventure. This time, they're in London to avenge the murder of Chon's father, but end up on an even bigger case. Chon's sister is there to do the same, but instead unearths a plot to kill the royal family. No one believes her, though, and it's up to Chon and Roy (who has romance on his mind) to prove her right.
-
- Cast:
- Jackie Chan , Owen Wilson , Fann Wong , Aidan Gillen , Donnie Yen , Tom Fisher , Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Similar titles
Reviews
Must See Movie...
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Seriously lightweight, this sequel to the better SHANGHAI NOON is very much a mish-mash of all the Jackie Chan films you've ever seen before, albeit with a rich backdrop: London of 1887. So far so good, and the UK capital does look very lavish and spellbinding, if perhaps a little too clean and Americanised? When will films finally realise that the prostitutes of this period were in their 40s and looked at least twenty years older, thanks to all the diseases and hard lives they lived? Anyway, despite the setting – which is really only present so that the viewer can be inundated with dozens of 'cultural' jokes – it's very much business as usual, as Chan tracks down the murderer of his father, Wilson just kind of ambles along, lots of policemen and villains get involved and things end with a high-rise climax, just like in RUSH HOUR actually.The only thing that makes this film worthwhile is Chan. While the action here is another step down from the kind of frenetic frenzies we remember from the 1980s, Chan's in his element, looking good, sounding good and engaging in some amusing homages to his inspirations – Buster Keaton, SINGING IN THE RAIN, Harold Lloyd and more. He even gets to visit the clock-tower set-piece of PROJECT A, except this time it's done on a far bigger scale, taking place inside Big Ben. My money's still on the earlier film as having the edge, though. Chan's martial arts are limited to some horseplay in some revolving doors and a few small scale fights, where he utilises dozens of props in his battle with multiple opponents – the market dash is another highlight and the emphasis is very much on the scenery rather than Chan's hand-to-hand skills. Saying that, there IS one decent martial arts fight against villain Donnie Yen, a Hong Kong hero in his own right; it is very well choreographed, but the editor keeps cutting away to mundane stuff with Wilson and other characters! Man, if they'd just stuck to a single ten-minute fight scene between these two guys, the film would have probably got the highest mark possible.A big detraction in this film is Wilson, whose lovable persona seems to have been dropped in favour of a bitter bore, whose sole purpose in the film is to flirt with women and make anti-British jokes. Wilson is horribly bad and most British viewers will just want to beat the tar out of him after he just keeps going on and on about how the Americans won the Revolution, tea-drinking, and more this is the kind of rubbish you hear on Internet forums, not Hollywood films! Still, no doubt American viewers will find it absolutely hilarious. What is even more offensive than the humour is the amount of historical inaccuracies present in the film; Charlie Chaplin becomes a street urchin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle suddenly isn't Scottish anymore – let alone the fact that he never was a police detective, the main villain is a poseur with a distinctly non-Victorian hairstyle the list goes on. I have a horrible suspicion that the teen generation are going to grow up thinking this film spoke the truth, and that the name 'Sherlock Holmes' was invented by a Yankee cowboy There are one or two entertaining jokes within the movie, including Fann Wong (pretty but oh-so-shallow)'s midnight encounter with Jack the Ripper, and a nice martial arts brawl taking place at Madame Tussaud's, complete with dummies falling to bits and more. But whenever Wilson's on screen, the whole thing just falls flat, and Chan's only half the martial artist he once was, so in hindsight I'd probably give this flick a miss.
Very nice movie and a very great sequel of the first one they did it pretty good comparing to other movies who their sequel's suck . This had action in it stunts , comedy , laughs , little bit of romance in a few words it was just a masterpiece sequel . Loved the performance by Jackie his stunts , sense of humor , action and also the performance by Owen which I didn't expect to be better than the Shanghai Noon but it was even better and the moment when Jackie finds out he's not rich and he's a waiter . Also loved Jackie's Sister and Owen's love while Jackie tries to separate it and doesn't want Owen as an brother in-law :P Really nice movie who hasn't seen it you don't know what you missed check it out !
Shanghai Knights boasts an adequate story, interesting characters -loved the Scotland Yard inspector-, good acting -especially from the villains-, some funny moments, solid action scenes, cute movie and historical references, and strong production. So you can watch it confidently, knowing you're not going to get a horrid piece of junk.That's the positive side. On the negative side, the movie is thoroughly unremarkable. I only watched it last night and I'm racking my brain trying to remember something memorable about it. After a while, I can only come up with two things. The name of the Jackie Chan character cracked me up: Chon Wang -pronounced "John Wayne". The same as in the first part, of course, but I haven't watched that since it came out.The other thing that cracked me up ***minor spoiler start*** is that Roy blew all their money from part I by investing in zeppelins instead of cars. I thought that was pretty clever. But then there's the head-scratching moment when Roy confesses he lied, he actually lost the money publishing his book... a book that so happens to be a hit all over the country and is even well-known in England. Huh? I guess the script called for a "confession moment" and there was nothing else he could confess to right then ***minor spoiler end***.How does this movie compare to Shanghai Noon? Can't tell, I don't remember. As for Rush Hour (not to mention early Jackie Chan films), I found the latter to be funnier, more original and an altogether better film. But Shanghai Knights is still OK, if you're tired of rewatching old Jackie films.
Shanghai Knights was phenomenal. You can't even compare this to the present profanity- laced, soft-porn comedies that are littering Hollywood's landscape. What made this movie more enjoyable than the average Jackie Chan movie was co-star Owen Wilson's wonderfully-timed, great sense of humor. The chemistry between Chan and Wilson is terrific and Owen Wilson's ramblings add so much to this film. Fans of the typical Jackie Chan movie will still be entertained by his amazing stunts, but Jackie has never been funnier. The story isn't much more than an excuse to see Owen and Jackie in action, but they more than make up for a somewhat weak plot and other minor, underdeveloped characters. For what kind of movie this is the cinematography is worth mention. Great shots of Great Britain. If you thought Rush Hour was half decent or have fallen in love with Owen Wilson from any of his other movies then go rent this movie now.