There was a period of time when Jackie Chan was just about the biggest thing in film. His popularity in Asia with his work in Hong Kong kept getting him attention in Hollywood, and he kept trying to break through. It wasn’t until Rumble In the Bronx that he finally broke through to western audiences. that led to Rush Hour, and he became a certified Hollywood star.
Shanghai Noon was his next “major” film – Mulan was an animated film and High Risk was a Hong Kong comedy/drama that wasn’t widely released (but still successful). Where Rush Hour used a variety of genres to good effect, Shanghai Noon took it a step further by placing Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in the Old West.
I enjoyed Shanghai Noon when it was in theaters. I was previously a Jackie Chan film long before he exploded in popularity in Hollywood. And then there’s Owen Wilson, a comedic actor who was on the rise at the time. The two worked well together, having a solid chemistry that helped to sell the film’s ludicrous story that involves an outlaw gang, arranged Imperial marriage, and more. It’s a silly story, but it works well enough to get the two together.
Shanghai Noon was successful enough to warrant a sequel, and Shanghai Knights came out a few years later after both leads had gained in popularity. The sequel finds the two picking up some time after the first film and their circumstances are very different, but in many ways similar. Success after saving the princess does not always translate to success in life. Then the two wind up in London, taking the “fish out of water” idea even further.
The problem with the second film is that it tries to cram too much coincidence and cleverness in, rather than simply allowing the story and characters to stand on their own. It’s not a bad film in any way as both films are equally enjoyable. By adding in a couple of characters that turn out to be (redacted for spoilers) is a little distracting and feels almost as if the writers were trying too hard. not that there weren’t any in the first film, but it was almost a preoccupation in the sequel.
Despite that misstep, Shanghai Knights is just as enjoyable as Shanghai Noon. Chan and Wilson make a good team and even without further films in this series I would have liked to have seen the two of them do more together.
Now on Blu-ray we get both films on one disc. This means they aren’t remastered for high definition, but these films don’t really need to be. It would have been nice to have each film on its own disc, but really, the average viewer for this type of film won’t care. By having both films on one Blu-ray disc it saves on money making this package more cost effective for Warner Brothers to release and therefore more affordable for consumers to pick up.
Should you pick this up? If you like Jackie Chan or Owen Wilson, sure. If you’re a fan of the action genre or “buddy cop” genre, sure. Is this worth upgrading over the previous DVD copies? Why not. There are no new special features, and the ones that are carried over from the previously released DVDs are in standard definition (saving disc space and money) but it appears that nothing got the boot. We get audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes and more. I know I’m glad to have this disc with both films with slightly improved picture and audio quality and to help save shelf space.
Rated “PG-13” these are a bit milder than some action fare and could be a could way to introduce some younger viewers to the greatness that is Jackie Chan. For those of us that already are familiar with him, this is certainly a good buy.