2000, 1 hr 50 min., Rated PG-13 for action violence, some drug humor, language and sensuality.�Dir: Tom Dey. Cast: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu.

"You're in the West. The sun doesn't rise here, it sets."

With that statement, Roy (Owen Wilson) sums up the predicament of Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) in this fish-out-of-water in the wild wild West meets mysterious far East action comedy.

When the princess leaves the Forbidden City only to be kidnapped by a revengeful former Imperial Guard, only Chan can come to the rescue, being partly led by honor, and the other part by his *ahem* Wang. But Chan finds the American West of the late 1800s to be a harsh place where men are men and women are whores. Because of this, he must make an uneasy partnership with a wanna-be rootin' tootin' Jesse James named Roy.

I'm already a sucker for Westerns, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed Shanghai Noon. A plus, though, is that it is a Jackie Chan Western, which means the choreography of the fights is amazing, especially when he takes on a handful of Indians and the throwback to a classic Western bar brawl.

The infusion of eastern style into the Western law of every man for himself keeps the audience thoroughly interested and entertained. This holds true for the music, blending the Orient with the twang of country.

As with Chan's surprise blockbuster Rush Hour last summer, the action hero needs a certifiable sidekick to offer better English as well as comedic relief. It may get old in a couple of years, but Chan's partnering with a crazy American is now two-for-two as far as I'm concerned.

What Chris Tucker provided in RH, Owen Wilson more than delivers in this role in Shanghai Noon, and one could even argue that he overshadows Chan as the true star of the picture.

Wilson's hilarious dialogue, especially peppered with one-liners, provides the most laughs. This doesn't surprise me, since Wilson was a co-wrote the fantastically inane Rushmore a couple of years ago, and gave a precursor of his talents in last summer's horror flop The Haunting.

Wilson plays Roy O'Bannon, an outlaw with a love of the ladies who just wants to be famous. With a surfer-dude demeanor, despite constant planning for robberies, he and his gang end up "winging it" since no one is smart enough or literate to understand. All talk, Roy likes to fire his gun but knows he isn't a good enough gunslinger to win a duel ("I'm going to die" he tells himself).

Lucy Liu (Princess Pei Pei) and newcomer Brandon Merrill (Indian wife) provide the babes of the film, although neither is really used enough. It's understandable since SN is a buddy flick, and at least the women are strong and pull their own weight in getting out of situations. I do hope, though, that Liu can get through her supporting role phase and try her acting chops as the headline star.

If you haven't already, go see Shanghai Noon and laugh for a couple of hours. Enjoy the action, comedy, characters and locations that show how well East and West can meld.