fludd.org - Movie Review

No matter what we might say about Jackie Chan’s movies, I’m sure that many people will still stick to his film without conditions. Despite being the leading star and the movie’s producer, many of us will still have the odd feeling that Jackie Chan has directed Shanghai Knights. So, let’s say the real things, if you accept to watch Shanghai Knights, or other movies from Jackie Chan, you’re not committing a crime at all. I’m quite sure that you know what to expect from Jackie Chan and no complaints, please!

Despite being a very acceptable movie, Shanghai Knights is still a silly comedy, in its own right, mind you. Hopefully, the movie is not too long, the pace is not very quick, but at least you won’t have to look at your watch once while the movie is playing, and the scriptwriters certainly took all the necessary actions to maintain our interest for the movie. Furthermore, even though the screenplay has a certain potential to be better, it is just a series of jokes and play on words and also, just take the pleasure to look at how Chon Wang and Roy O’Bannon will inspire Artie Doyle (I mean Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the English novelist who wrote novels starring Sherlock Holmes), who’s played amazingly by Tom Fisher. Obviously, the movie is not to be taken too seriously.

Those who have been waiting for a very “serious and ambitious” movie from Jackie Chan should really wait, because as usual, the scriptwriters (and also Jackie Chan) has decided to apply the same production formula in Shanghai Knights. Unfortunately, this production formula (it encompasses Chan’s trademarks, mind you) has been used to death for a too long time and it’s shows a lack of originality from Jackie Chan. Hopefully, Owen Wilson (Behind Ennemy Lines), the best Western partner Jackie Chan ever had (the other ones are: Chris Tucker, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Claire Forlani and Lee Evans), who’s showing up as Roy O’Bannon, is there to push the comedic forward in the movie and don’t worry, as opposed to Chris Tucker (Rush Hour), he doesn’t try to go beyond what he can really do and he knows how to make some room for Jackie Chan, in terms of humour, but don’t even expect to see too much jokes from the leading actor.

Without a doubt, the star of Shanghai Knights is definitely Asian pop singer Fann Wong, as Chon Lin, Chon Wang’s sister, who enormously impress the audience with her role of a tough lady and a femme fatale, even though she has to be a back bencher sitting behind Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, in a manner of speaking, but hey guys, don’t worry you will have the opportunity to see her quite often! Let it be said that she’s a little bit reminiscent of Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Besides having a stunning beauty, Fann Wong undeniably possesses a charm, so that explains why the movie seems to advance faster when she’s on screen and sleeps when she’s not on screen. As the villain Wu Chow, Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey ; Hero) seems to take his role too seriously, as if he was being promised to have a nomination at the Cannes International Film Festival as a supporting actor. In fact, Yen has just accepted, like many actors who faced Jackie Chan in previous movies, to hold a role that is, without a moment of doubt, near to a parody of a good villain. As Lord Rathbone, Aidan Gillen is, for the moment, probably the best Western villains that Jackie Chan has faced (Ken Leung and Tom Wilkinson, both from Rush Hour, were fairly good) and unlike Donnie Yen, Gillen seems to take his role quite easily, so that’s why we’re more inclined to appreciate Lord Rathbone rather than Wu Chow, who’s played by Donnie Yen.

All that being said about Shanghai Knights, let me tell you that this movie’s fight scenes features more wireworks than other movies from Jackie Chan, which might disappoint certain fans of Chan, since that Chinese actor has always vowed in the past to make realistic fight choreographies without giving too many kicks while jumping. The movie’s pacing is quite acceptable, but some cuts and more presence of Fann Wong could have helped Shanghai Knights to improve, for its own good, and also for those who are waiting to see a “serious and ambitious” movie from Jackie Chan. Without taking anything out from this movie, if you want a better movie from Jackie Chan, just watch Rush Hour.

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