Le cowboy de Shanghaï

Jackie Chan is a master martial artist and stuntman. Every film he stars in is an exercise in demonstrating his skill in different, creative ways. If you go to see this movie expecting anything different, you'll be sorely disappointed.

However, if you're a Chan fan, prepare to be amazed once again. It's not the same spectacle one would find in previous works such as Rumble in the Bronx, but impressive nevertheless. Furthermore, the plot that ties these action sequences together is better than can be found in most films of the same genre. The clash between far east and wild west cultures and cinematographic stereotypes is amusing enough to keep the film entertaining throughout, and Chan's own tongue-in-cheek sense of humor makes the piece that much more delightful to watch.

Don't look for this one at the next Academy Awards, but then that's not what Jackie Chan is all about, is it. If you want a couple of hours of mindless entertainment and spectacle, this is the one to see.

Jackie Chan does it again; this time with "Shanghai Noon." Unlike his previous films, Jackie has finally found a sidekick that works well alongside him and is able to play off of his physical stunts.

"Shanghai Noon" is unlike any other Jackie Chan movie I have seen. It is his best since "Rush Hour" and is among one of the best all-action movies that I've seen with an actual plot behind it.

After watching previous Jackie Chan movies such as "Rush Hour" and "Rumble In The Bronx, I was expecting to be dazzled with his comedic talent as well as action filled sequences. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it had every one of the components and requirements that I require for a good movie.

Owen Wilson was comedic treat to this film as he added spark to an already great movie. Other than the cliché plot, "Shanghai Noon" brings a lot of excellent comedy, dialogue, action, thrills and even a little romance. I was expecting Owen Wilson to be similar to Chris Tucker, but in "Shanghai Noon" Wilson proved himself to be much better than other Jackie Chan sidekicks I've seen him teamed with.

I was glad I rented this movie so I would be able to recommend it to everyone.

Pairing Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson together may seem the most unlikely thing to do since color televisions were first invented. But both of these actors are funny, in one way or another--Chan through his innocence, Wilson through his sarcastic, snide remarks. Wilson is as impressive an actor as he is a writer--he shares writing credits on such films as "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums."

Chan, on the other hand, is a better martial arts master than Jet Li and a more likable character actor than Chow Yun Fat (whose disastrous film "Bulletproof Monk" made me want to split his head open to prevent him from ever making another American mainstream motion picture ever again).

In "Shanghai Noon," Chan plays Chon Wang, a 19th century Chinese martial arts master who ventures out to Nevada in order to rescue the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), whose name is misused by Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) on at last one occasion.

After Chon Wang (mistakenly pronounced "John Wayne") meets up with Roy, the two decide to form an alliance and rescue the princess -- one for honor, the other for loads of money awaiting them upon her safe arrival back home in Imperial China's Forbidden City.

Roy is a lousy wannabe cowboy who used to stage clumsy train robberies along with his band of thieves, who betrayed him and left him for dead. He offers his help to Wang, and tries to play it cool, but he can't -- after all, he's not a very convincing cowboy. But, as the smarmy wisecracking sidekicks always are, O'Bannon just wants money. But as his friendship with Chan grows stronger, he realizes that money isn't everything.

Sounds routine, doesn't it? Well, it is, to a certain extent. But it succeeds due to a fine cast -- Chan and Wilson are extraordinarily good together; so good, in fact, that Chris Tucker is just a forgotten memory by the time that the film is over.

It's a classic spin on the Old West formula; what "The Princess Bride" or "Shrek" did for fairy tales, "Shanghai Noon" does for Westerns. All the old cliches are poked fun at in a light way. And as great as Chan is, and as much as he carries most films he's in with his sweet charms and likable personas, Wilson comes across as equally likable as Chan.

Chan's martial arts are usually the highlights of these films, but in this he proves he can do more than just kick -- he can be funny. Well, okay, he proved that in "Rush Hour" (1998), but I like this better.

The jokes in "Shanghai Noon" aren't "great," but I laughed a lot at this film. It's smarter than one might think, and is certainly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in quite some time. Probably years. I wasn't expecting much (especially because I wasn't an enormous fan of the sequel--see below), but if fun could be rated on a scale of 1 - 10, this would be an 11.

I give this film nothing more than four out of five stars because it's not a great film on all critical levels. But it's certainly fun--likely more fun than any film you'll see for quite some time--and for that it will soon be earning a place in my sacred DVD collection.

I must say that I wasn't a huge fan of "Shanghai Knights," the sequel to "Shanghai Noon," which involved Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon venturing to England in order to save Wang's sister. But after seeing this film I'm thinking I might just have to pay a small revisit the sequel again.

4/5 stars.

• John Ulmer

I saw Shanghai Noon because I do like Jackie Chan, and the premise seemed like the film would be a winner. Although I didn't find Shanghai Noon particularly special, it was a fun movie and I would recommend it.

The plot is routine, with some of the ideas a tad forced. The film also feels 5 or so minutes too long, one or two scenes in the middle felt like they could have been shortened. Lucy Liu isn't given much to do either.

However, the film is beautifully shot and the scenery and sets are equally ravishing. There is also a rousing score from Randy Eldemann, a smart script with some amusing if not hilarious jokes and sharply choreographed fight scenes. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson are both very good, and are a well matched double act.

Overall, not perfect, but fun and enjoyable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It seems this film has been out longer than just six years but I remember it was one of the first modern-day humorous martial arts films to be seen in North America. It also introduced a much wider English- speaking audience to the charm and talents of Asian star Jackie Chan, who now is well-known everywhere, even if he is getting up in age.

This is considered one of Chan's better films and the setting certainly is different than normal for him: the American Old West. Good action scenes, some solid humor, fun characters and nice cinematography are all the pluses. Chan speaks English so there is no need for dubbing, either.

The only "minus" I found was the final action scene going on too long, but that's typical of films. All in all, this is a very entertaining movie. Owen Wlson and Lucy Liu also are two big reasons this film became so popular.