Shanghai Noon : Movie Review


Jackie Chan's latest offering has never professed to be groundbreaking, but Shanghai Noon conforms to so many action-comedy clichés that it is all too easy to call the movie 'average'. Those familiar with Chan's recent movies will undoubtedly recognise the way the story goes…

Chan gets the girl, kills the baddies and saves the story from complete self-destruction. His brand of well choreographed, slapstick fight sequences rarely fail to entertain, and offer a well-earned break from a plot that you begin to care less and less about. But, as fans of Chan will be aware, it matters not. The expectation and enjoyment is not so much guessing the final outcome, but when the next fight will be, who'll get a painful but hilarious whack between the legs, and what Chan will next use for a weapon - his use of antlers is one of the more memorable scenes from the film. What Shanghai Noon lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in action and comedy - although ironically, it was the outtakes sequence after the film that seemed to be funnier than any of the jokes that preceded it.

Shanghai Noon tells the story of East meeting West to fight for a common cause - freedom. Not only for Princess Pei Pei but also, so it would seem, the stereotypically oppressed but well-disciplined Chinaman. The West is, ultimately, the place of freedom, but the most deliberate emphasis is placed on how Chon Wang (played by Chan) adapts to his new surroundings. His character lies somewhere between Manuel from "Fawlty Towers" and "Martial Law" - ridiculous and child-like at times, but mystic and noble in others.

Overall, Shanghai Noon is a 'safe' movie. It doesn't promise anything out of the ordinary, but what it promises, it delivers. The jokes often give you a sense of déjà vu, but it rarely irritates. Rather, it is because you know what to expect from the plot and more importantly, Jackie Chan, that Shanghai Noon is altogether, a pretty enjoyable movie.

Location:
Warner Village
Cardigan Fields
Kirkstall Road
Leeds
LS24 2DJ

Contact:
Enquiries: (0113)2799868
Bookings: (0113)2799833

Author : Ben Pinches of Cinema.com