I saw Shanghai Noon over the weekend.
I am happy to say that we have finally come to the point where a multicultural Western can be, first and foremost, an amusing little film. I am sooooooo tired of the earnest treatises that remind me of how the white men exploited the both the immigrant and the indigenous. Nice to see a Western that has few white faces that can still have fun.
The plot doesn't bear examination, the romance is weak, and the only thing that makes the deus ex machina acceptable is the film's goodhumored reliance on it at every point in the movie. The performances are all very solid and note-perfect.
I read somewhere that Owen Wilson would steal the movie if Chan weren't so generous in sharing it with him, and I agree wholeheartedly. Chan himself is handling his movie career exceptionally well.
Very enjoyable timewaster.
