Shanghai Noon (2000)

Director:

Tom Dey

Writers (WGA):

Miles Millar (written by) &
Alfred Gough (written by)

Release Date:

26 May 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Western

Tagline:

The Classic Western Gets A Kick In The Pants.

Plot:

Jackie Chan plays a Chinese man who travels to the Wild West to rescue a kidnapped princess. After teaming up with a train robber, the unlikely duo takes on a Chinese traitor and his corrupt boss.

Plot Keywords:

Princess | Chinese | Rescue | Imperial Guard | China

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Chon Wang
Owen Wilson	...	Roy O'Bannon
Lucy Liu	...	Princess Pei Pei
Brandon Merrill	...	Indian Wife
Roger Yuan	...	Lo Fong
Xander Berkeley	...	Van Cleef
Rongguang Yu	...	Imperial Guard (as Rong Guang Yu)
Ya Hi Cui	...	Imperial Guard (as Cui Ya Hi)
Eric Chen	...	Imperial Guard (as Eric Chi Cheng Chen)
Jason Connery	...	Andrews
Walton Goggins	...	Wallace
Adrien Dorval	...	Blue (as P. Adrien Dorval)
Rafael Báez	...	Vasquez
Stacy Grant	...	Hooker in Distress
Kate Luyben	...	Fifi

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some drug humor, language and sensuality.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English | Mandarin | Sioux

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:L (video rating) | Malaysia:U | Ireland:12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (nf) | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (PCA #38763) | Australia:PG | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The song playing during the first bar-fight sequence is the same song that plays during the The Dirty Dozen (1967)-style intro of the characters in Armageddon (1998/I), an earlier Owen Wilson film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Chon is using the spear during the church fight, you can tell the tip is rubber because it bends when it comes in contact with the door.

Quotes:

[about Wallace]
Roy O'Bannon: Where did you get this guy?
Blue: Texas.
Roy O'Bannon: Texas?
[slaps him]
Roy O'Bannon: Are you insane?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Kill Bill' (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

La Grange

Often laugh out-loud funny, but it could have been better

This unpretentious comedy has wooden acting, a few very funny spots and great stunt fighting by Jackie Chan. This was my first Jackie Chan flick, and I enjoyed it enough to try another - probably the sequel, Shanghai Knights. Inclusion of puns is often a reliable indication that a comedy will be lame but the puns are good (Shanghai Noon? Chon Wang?) and the comedy is better. The movie fails to grab the audience for the first 15 or 20 minutes but then finds its stride and becomes more engaging. Many other reviewers comment on the chemistry between Chan and Owen Wilson (which gets better as the film progresses), but there is a total lack of chemistry between Liu and Chan. Indeed, the scenes with the most passion are the ones between Liu and bad guy Lo Fong (played by Roger Yuan). And Brandon Merrill sizzles, although no one in the film seems to notice. After about twenty minutes my wife said "everyone is just saying their lines." I did lower my rating for bad acting, but then gave extra credit for Chan's acrobatic, interactive fight choreography. The fight scenes are both funny and entertaining. I gave it a 6 out of 10.