Review #873: Shanghai Noon (2000)

Title: Shanghai Noon
Year: 2000
Director: Tom Dey
Country: US
Language: English

Much of Cinematic History has a long-standing tradition of West influencing East and vice-versa. The John Ford/Howard Hawks Westerns of the 30's and 40's inspired Eastern film-makers (Akira Kurosawa) to make samurai pictures in the 50's. This then inspires Italian filmmakers of the 60's to create the Spaghetti Western, which then inspires the Chinese to make their Hong Kong action flicks of the 70's and 80's, which is how Jackie Chan became a star. Shanghai Noon is a neat film that tries an "East meets West" plot (albeit under a traditional Western narrative).

In this, a Chinese man (Jackie Chan) travels to the Wild West to rescue a kidnapped princess. After teaming up with a train robber (Owen Wilson), the unlikely duo takes on a Chinese traitor and his corrupt boss. 

Jackie Chan is an entertainer who transcends any specific culture. His astonishing physical gifts, which made him a star, find a perfect counterpoint in Mr. Wilson's goofy verbal riffing. The most notable aspects of the picture are the impressively choreographed fight scenes, all in the slapstick style that evokes the great silent pantomime artists like Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This, moreso than the writing (albeit the writing is also very good), made me laugh quite a bit. 

Mel Brooks-esque in humor, Shanghai Noon traffics in the high farce of multicultural misunderstanding. It tweaks stereotypes even as it spoofs multicultural sensitivity. Overall it is, in classic western tradition, a celebration of male bonding, unabashedly juvenile, boyishly risque and disarmingly sweet. Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan have an undeniable chemistry that would certainly entice their Studio to put them in more flicks. 

Shanghai Noon is a very good natured breeze of a picture. Even when its plot slows down toward the end, we can't help but still feel attached to the characters and their situation. While it isn't a "great" film, it's still one of the better comedies to come out of the early 2000's.