SHANGHAI NOON PG-13
Starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, and Lucy Liu
Eric says: ******** (8)
Every now and then, a film happily surprises me. This was one of them. Chan and wilson are partnered in this Wild West action Martial Arts piece of entertainment. Chan is an Emperial Guard trying to help rescue Princess Pei Pei (Liu) from an evil Chinese slave owner. He stumbles across Wilson's character, a bumbling criminal with a kind heart, and they occasionally team up. With the exception of a brief derailing where Chan visits a camp of Native Americans, the movie is straight-forward action.
Chan is amazing since he must be nearing his eighties now. A wilderness scene proves that he is still an incredible specimen. He darts in and out from between trees, swings, spins, kicks, and punches. His English has improved since Rush Hour, and his comic timing is as good as ever.
Wilson is a nice surprise, with a character who has room to grow and shift through the course of the movie. His dealings with The Law are especially entertaining. His character is just adept enough to keep from being inept. We get the sense that the two's relationship was symbiotic on and off screen. a fun alternative to Mission Impossible 2, and one that will guarantee a shorter line to see, too.