Review of Shanghai Knights (2003) by Lara C — 10 Dec 2009

Hilarious.

Interesting, I laughed. Jackie Chan as Chon Wang, pull up some crazy stuns yet again, Owen Wilson played blond playboy charmer Roy O'Bannon and Aidan Gillen gave us one hot English villain, Lord Nelson Rathbone.

I like how they put little details and characters from other stories into the movie, like when Jack the Ripper shows up at the end and wanted to attack Chon's little sister Lin, but she kick his ass, or little boy named Charlie Chaplin who went with Roy O'Bannon and Chon Wang a.k.a. John Wayne to Hollywood to start their acting carriers and of course, former Inspector Arthur Conan Doyle who is just about to wrote his famous stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. We could also hear one of my favorite song Singin' in the Rain during Jackie's fight with umbrellas. I love those details.

Costumes and make-up was great. Soundtrack, funny, not bad. Overall, very good action comedy, I highly recommended it.

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Doyle: I think you gentlemen should accompany me back to the Yard.

[Cut to Roy and Chon in a cell at Scotland Yard].

Roy: This isn't a yard! It's a JAIL!

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Roy: That's a terrible name for a detective. Sherlock Holmes?

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Chon Wang: We are wasting time.

Roy: What do you think I've been doing? Sittin' here and drinking expensive hooch?

[to Charlie].

Roy: Boy, refill.

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Chon Wang: I look like a fool.

Roy: What? You're a Maharajah! That's Indian royalty!

Chon Wang: But I'm Chinese.

Roy: It's the same thing.

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Roy: There's this new thing they're starting out in California: moving pictures. There's no sound, so we won't have to worry about the language problem, and I think the kung fu stuff could be huge! People are dying for a good action flick.

Chon Wang: Chon Wang...

[sounds like "John Wayne"].

Chon Wang: ...movie star? It could work.

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Lord Rathbone: One more.

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Lord Rathbone: Perhaps you could explain to me how Looney Lin managed to escape from the confines of Scotland Yard under the watch of the most respected police force in the world.

Doyle: Yes, of course, it's absolutely fascinating. She picked the lock using a deck of rather risqué playing cards. Then scaled the walls with a mop, a fork, and various pilfered undergarments. I've got to hand it to the Chinese, they're awfully ingenious, Lord, aren't they?

Lord Rathbone: Does your incompetence know no bounds?

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Roy: Well, what's in it for you?

Lord Rathbone: Your looking at the future king of England.

Roy: You're, like, 20th line to the throne.

Lord Rathbone: 10th. But my friend here is about to change all that.

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Doyle: [to Nelson] No matter how far you are from the throne, you'll always be number one in our hearts.

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Enjoy!