Great concept, mediocre execution
Chan movies have pretty much the same plot: babe is in trouble and it's Chan to the rescue. Meanwhile bad guys want to trounce his ass but he makes them look like fools in the process.
Shanghai Noon follows that formula. The movie is set in the 1880s. Lucy Liu is a Chinese princess who books for America rather than settle down married to Toad Boy. Chan is an Imperial Guard who's part of the cadre off to rescue her.
The movie begins at the Forbidden City. And we're talking the real thing here. The plaza is so spotless you'd think the the Disney Corporation does their upkeep. The flick shifts to America where Chan's wacky adventures begin.
Thru an turgidly ponderous sequence, Chan hooks up with Owen Wilson, a trainrobber who feels being a crook makes him more of a babe magnet. Wilson plays his character very laid back, so think Robert Redford from Butch Cassidy only stuffed to the gills on Prozac.
Shanghai Noon has its moments, but not as often or as funny as your typical Jackie Chan flick. Old West cliches at their worst abound: the psychotic gang member, the Indian babe, the vicious "lawman", the evil Chinese overlord. Wow! I'm so amazed.
Then there are sequences so ineptly written that I wonder if a human actually processed the screenplay or if it was simply copy and pasted from some Grade B oaters. Chan rescues an Indian child and I wonder which tribe that the latecomers belong to. When Chan needs rescuing, I wonder if blah-blah comes to the rescue. And it happens. Later more rescuing and blah-blah is right there. So we're not exactly pushing the envelope from a surprise standpoint here.
There's some magnificent scenery of the West caught on film. And where does one go to photograph such countryside? Why, Canada of course.
As mentioned, Owen Wilson is laid-back surfer dude guy who happens to not be on the beach. Lucy Liu shows her acting range extends beyond the brittle character she plays on Ally McBeal and in Payback so kudos to her. And Chan does the usual--plays himself.
There are some cool stunts, so I will give the movie that much. I'd like to know if the whole "rope dart" sequence is even possible or if that's just movie martial arts. But meanwhile, the problem is there just aren't enough stunts to make this be a real McCoy Chan movie.
And with Chan flicks there are the "flub" sequences shown during the end credits. Even those are remarkably lame. Mainly people bursting into laughter after blowing a line. The Owen Wilson bathtub shot is hilarious tho. But if Chan is your man, then go see. Otherwise wait for the next (hopefully better) Chan flick.
Movie's suitability for: