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Shanghai Noon

Shanghai Noon

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $11.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Chan's antics are growing weary, Wilson is annoying as ever
Review: Shanghai Noon appears to have its fans, but I'm certainly not one of them, tired as I am of these buddy pictures that deliver weak jokes, uninspired action scenes, and draggy "getting to know you" material. Noon follows the formula without a hitch, which will be a godsend to some, but total boredom for others. Perhaps a better way of determining your enjoyment of the movie is asking yourself whether or not you find Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan funny guys. Personally, I've always found Wilson irritating, but Chan has had his moments, even if most of them were back in Hong Kong. Their pairing leads to maybe two decent laughs, both during that jailbreak scene, which is another example of good set-up that ends with a botched gag.

The story is nothing to write about, really, just something about a kidnapped princess and the mismatched partners who have to save her. There are a few obligatory things to point out. Lucy Lui's Princess Pei Pei, in spite of all her "strong" moments as a caring ruler, is little more than a damsel in distress. Just when she gets the opportunity to kick ... at the end by all her lonesome, she needs to be saved yet again. And does anyone else find it annoying it's her impetuousness that starts this whole mess in the first place? Then there's the Indian girl, played by Brandon Merrill, who serves no other purpose than to help out our heroes simply because the screenwriters can't think of any other way to resolve a cliffhanger.

The finale gets dragged in syrupy sentimentality, with that whole "do the right thing" angle that can be touching when delivered well, but not here. As much as I like law-abiding citizens, it seems rather odd and not entirely believable Wilson's rowdy cowboy character would simply turn into a man of "honor" so abruptly. And when you think about it, the Chan/Wilson pairing doesn't add up to much when you realize the former doesn't even trust the latter until the last five minutes. Their arguments over greed and honor are numerous, repetitive, taken way too seriously and weigh the whole movie down.

On a semi-bright side, Chan's moves are still impressive, so you can expect a few somewhat enjoyable fight scenes. Unfortunately, Chan's elaborate costumes tend to obscure his moves, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of these action sequences (the Blade series suffered from a similar flaw, as Snipes' character rarely fought without his huge, overflowing coat on). To sum it up, Shanghai Noon is pretty much second-rate on all counts as a buddy picture, you'd be better off sticking with any of the Lethal Weapons or Die Hard: With a Vengeance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shanghai Noon (2000)
Review: This film is even better than those dozen of John Wayne films combined! This has quite a few jokes. This film is about Princess Pei Pei who gets kidnapped and these 4 Imperial Gaurds need to rescue her. the only disadvantage is that Jackie eavesdrops on the princess the night she gets kidnaped and Princess Pei Pei drops her book. Jackie Chan doesn'
t know any English and strangly enough by reading it he learns every single word in English. Highlight: Final fight scene in the church!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Has its moments.
Review: SHANGHAI NOON (a take off of 'High Noon' get it?) is a decent comedy that relies more on the charisma of Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan than on any story. It is funnier than I thought it would be for sure, but it's no BLAZING SADDLES. Worth checking out for some good laughs and of course, Jackie Chan's amazing stunts. The DVD itself is quite standard fare. Nothing spectacular.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: surprisingly entertaining
Review: So many Jackie Chan movies have popped up since the release of Rumble in the Bronx in 1996 and it is difficult to distinguish one from another -- he usually plays a cop from Hong Kong or an accidental hero fighting some European mafia. I watch Jackie Chan movies (and most kunf fu movies for that matter) for the fight scenes. In fact, I often fastforward the dialogues. The fight sequences in Shanghai Noon aren't as intense or innovative as some of his classics such as Drunken Master 2, but this movie actually has a plot amd a settomg that's amusing or at least different enough from his other movies to make it worth watching as a movie instead of a straight kung fu flick. There is good chemistry between Chan and Owen Wilson. Even if you are not too crazy about Wilson, well, at least he is not Chris Tucker.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Oops!!
Review: I must admit that I have never been a fan of Jackie Chan. So I guess that I will definitely be biased when I write this review. Besides, I don't enjoy action-type movies, so again I have nothing much to say about this movie. But if you are just the opposite of me, then you should get this movie. Still between the two, that is Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, Jackie's acting is still more credible. Hilarious at times, but that is about it. It is the usual 'outlaws robbing a train type of movie' with different types of people and culture thrown in. Lucy Liu played her part well as Princess Pei Pei, though.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Chan's Eastern Western
Review: And you thought you'd never see the day that Chan plays John Wayne in a western (actually, it's Chon Wang). Certainly a fun movie and a must see (aren't they all?). After "Rush Hour", I was suprised to see how great the fights were in "Shanghai Noon". And the interaction between Chan and Wilson is great.

Have any of you ever wondered what they were saying during the drinking game? Well all you have to do to find out is play through the fun trivia game. This is just one of the extras on the DVD. Other things to check out are the deleted scenes (especially Chon's Wild Ride) and the music video.

A great DVD for a great American Chan movie. Go get it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A goodhearted romp through the old West!
Review: This has got to be Jackie's best movie so far! Even better than Rush Hour. Yes, I am a Jack Chan fan. Not a fan of Martial Arts movies in general, but Jackie always plays such a nice, innocent guy, and his movies are always so full of comedy and hilarious fighting action, that it's hard not to become a loyal Chan fan. Shanghai Noon is no exception, and the chemistry between Jackie and the always hilarious Owen Wilson is wonderful! The plot is simple, but works great for the comedy and fighting sequences that are the real focus here. Jackie plays Chon Wang, a misfit member of the Chinese Royal Guard. When the Princess runs away to America to avoid marrying a less than charming suitor, Chon manages to join the rescue party. But while riding across the old west aboard a train, the men experience a hold-up, and Chon's uncle is unfortunately killed. Chasing after the villains, Chon is quickly seperated from his companions and alone in the unfriendly and wild, old west. He stumbles upon a tribe of Sioux Indians, and after a night of puffing on the peace pipe, wakes up with a beautiful new wife that he really doesn't want. Not long after that, he makes friends with the laid-back, talkative, and bumbling outlaw-wannabe, Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson). Roy proceeds to teach the humorless Chon the ways of the west, but is the worst teacher anyone could possibly hope to team up with. The laughs flow continuously, as Roy and Chon try to survive against the likes of Marshall Nathan Van Cleef, the evil Lo Fong, and Crazy Wallace, the train robbing Texan, all the while determined to rescue the Chinese Princess from her new captors.
The movie is typically sweet comedy from kickster Jackie Chan and smooth talker Owen Wilson, backed by a great soundtrack of modern cowboy songs like "I Wanna Be A Cowboy," and "Back In the Saddle Again." The DVD has a nice pile of extras too. You just can't go wrong by picking this one up if you like a good laugh and a sweet story with a feel-good ending.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One Of Chan's Finest
Review: In Short:

Pros
1: Jackie Chan has the perfect part in this movie, very believable role for him.
2: Pretty clean humor you could watch it with the family (even the Indian peace pipe scene does not expressly state it's marijuana).
3: Excellant chemistry between Chan and Wilson.
4: Yes there are fight scenes here but not much blood at all.

Pro or Con:
1: There are fewer stunts and fight scenes than in some other Chan movies and they tend to be more in line with what you see in other movies at times. For some this is a good thing for others not but it's still got some good action sequences to go with the comedy.

Cons
Nothing significant really.

I'm a fan of Jackie Chan's so it's no wonder that I liked this but I also think it is one of his better movies.

It's a pretty good take on a standard plotline involving the good guys saving the princess and works very well as a vehicle for the humor and stunts we get with most any Chan movie. Chan and Wilson have good on screen chemistry and create an endearing image of a likeable cowboy want-a-be and a Chinese immigrant come from the emperors court to save his princess.

I thought the scene where Chan is befriended by a local Indian tribe after saving one of the chiefs daughters was one of the highlights but I do kind of wonder what an Indian would make of it (it involves Marijuana and some interesting conversation subtitles). Man Who Fights In Dress is instantly liked by the Indians even though no one can understand him.

Owen Wilson's character is a contemporary take on the American cowboy and old west opportunist. He equals Chan on the humor side perhaps but not on the stunt end, that is Jackie's show through and through. The standard out takes and bloopers are at the end but are shorter than I've seen on other Chan films, whether there was fewer of them or what I don't know. It's a very small part of the product of course that does not detract from the film.

I would not say this is Chan's best movie for stunts necessarily and the fighting choreography has been better in other pictures. What I rate this film so highly for is the overall pace of it and the flow of the movie. This is one of those movies that seem to fly past even though it is in fact a standard length picture leaving you wishing there was more.

It's really very good in my opinion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Unmatched Humor
Review: When I saw the previews for this movie I was extremely skeptical and not interested, but when a friend dragged me to see it, I instantly fell in love. The strategic casting of Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan as a partnership devoted to the unmasking of a rather bland kidnapping (the plot is not the most important element of the film) guarentees a humor unmatched even by the pairing of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2. Owen Wilson brings the majority of the humor to the film with his anachronistic jokes and diction while Jackie Chan makes the action of the movie utterly irresistable. Since seeing this movie for the first time I have watched several Jackie Chan films and while his fight scenes are always impressive, I've found those in Shanghai Noon to be the most captivating. I have also become a huge Owen Wilson fan and have yet to be disappointed by any of his movies. After seeing it twice in theaters I bought it for my own diminuitive DVD collection. I've seen this movie probably 20 times and each time I find the jokes and situations so funny that I cannot help laughing out loud or reciting the lines along with the actors. I highly recommend this movie to anyone seeking a huge laugh. I eagerly await another movie featuring Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan as the heroes.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jackie Chan beats up the Old West!!!!
Review: This is a great movie if your not looking for an in depth story line and character development. It's basically another Jackie Chan action movie but it has a twist, this time Jackie's in the old west. The action is wonderful (vintage Jackie Chan) and the comedy is also vintage Jackie so if your a Jackie Chan fan then you should find this movie entertaining.

Owen Wilson also does a great job as the outlaw wanna be in this movie. Wilson has a different comedical air to him which I happen to enjoy but which isn't for everyone. If you liked him in Meet the Parents then you'll like him in this as well, basically the same type of comedy with a different roll.

Lucy Liu's character really doesn't add anything to this movie. She plays the princess kidnapped from China and brought to America which spawns Jackie coming to save her. Although her part is crucial within the story it really is secondary and really doesn't add anything or allow Liu to shine.

Basically if your a Jackie Chan fan or an Owen Wilson fan you won't be disappointed with this film. It adds originality to Jackie's fight scenes and gives you his classic comedy combined with Wilson's unique style of comedy. It's deffinately worth the money!


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