I forgot how much goddamn fun Shanghai Noon is. It's pretty much the quintessential east meets west buddy flick (sorry Rush Hour, love you too bbz), and upon rewatching it I realized that it's every bit as awesome, and more so, than I remember as a kid. You take Jackie Chan, a stoic, robotic Chinese fighting machine with the sense of humour god gave a sock, and pair him with Owen Wilson, a wishy washy surfer dude of a cowboy who can't take one second out of the day to stop talking or cracking jokes, and you've got gold. Of course, they need a film to run about in that's just as solid as they're team up, and that's just what we get. This is a bawdy, unapologetic roll in the hay, a genre bender that tosses the American western, the buddy cop flick and the Kung Fu picture into a big cauldron, fires a few bullets in and gives it a big old stir. It's ridiculously fun for its entire duration, an achievement which the sequel just couldn't keep up with. Chan is Chon Wang (say it fast), a Chinese imperial guard on the trail of runaway Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), who has runoff to America. No sooner does he set foot on Yankee soil, he's bumped into peace pipe smoking Natives, and clashed with a band of train robbers led by Roy O Bannon (Owen Wilson), a fast talking soldier of fortune who doesn't seem to have much skill besides yapping his way out of a situation. The two are thrown into a mad dash across then west, Chon looking for the princess, and Roy after the missing gold from the train. It's what movies were made to be, a pure rush of gunfighting and chop socky, kick ass action sequences, all given the boost of Chan's insane talents. He's like a rabid squirrel monkey, and Wilson a drunk sloth, constantly mismatched yet always coming out on top, like the best comic duos always do. They're faced with taking dpwn a few baddies, including Walton Goggins as the dumbest outlaw this side of the Rockies, and a terrifying Xander Berkeley as a corrupt, homicidal marshal. The core of it rests on Chan and Wilson to entertain us though, and even in the down time between action, their energy is infectious, especially in a manic drinking game that just can't be described in writing. Like I said, the sequel, Shanghai Knights, just doesn't capture he magic quite like this one does, and seems to fall flat. You can't go wrong with this original outing though, and it just gets better with age.

Watched this as a kid, and watched it again to really enjoy all the little details. I enjoyed it then and I still enjoy it now, but I'm just at that point where I'm tired of all the stereotyping in films. White man gets all the credit, looks like the cool guy/playboy, while the Chinaman is played for a fool and deemed the sidekick even though he does all the work/fighting. How about we reverse the roles... Make Jackie the ass- kicking playboy. Nope. Of course we will see him play a similar role in the sequel, as well as Rush Hour 1, 2, and 3. I would give it a 5, but I give it a higher rating mainly because I support Jackie for being one of the few successful Asians in Hollywood films, even though it's mainly due to his martial arts skills. I'm still waiting for an Asian actor/actress who becomes a major star for their acting skills and not because they can do their own stunts.

I saw Shanghai Noon because I do like Jackie Chan, and the premise seemed like the film would be a winner. Although I didn't find Shanghai Noon particularly special, it was a fun movie and I would recommend it.The plot is routine, with some of the ideas a tad forced. The film also feels 5 or so minutes too long, one or two scenes in the middle felt like they could have been shortened. Lucy Liu isn't given much to do either.However, the film is beautifully shot and the scenery and sets are equally ravishing. There is also a rousing score from Randy Eldemann, a smart script with some amusing if not hilarious jokes and sharply choreographed fight scenes. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson are both very good, and are a well matched double act.Overall, not perfect, but fun and enjoyable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A loyal Imperial Guard sets off to America to rescue a kidnapped Princess that he serves in China. After the train he is on is robbed by Outlaws, and his uncle is killed, a set of circumstances will put the guard in the company of a rapscallion cowboy named Roy O'Bannon, to form an unlikely a duo as you are ever likely to see.Laden with Cowboy clichés and trumpeting that it is a West meets the East fish out of water shenanigan, Shanghai Noon could so easily have been a film to roll your eyes up to heaven with. Thankfully it turns out to be a non pretentious, non moralistic mess that entertains those looking for a comedy that just wants to cheer you up. Jackie Chan as Chon Wang (say that real fast to get the joke) opens up his bag of martial arts joviality and impresses as much as he amuses (check out the horse shoe set piece). While Owen Wilson as O'Bannon leaves behind some previous stinker pictures, to engage us royally as a comedy actor and provide us with dynamite chemistry playing off the charming wonder of Chan (the sequel was inevitable). With both men clearly happy to run with it and let each one share the limelight.It's a positive delight is what it is, blustering set pieces go hand in hand with cheeky in-jokes and Western genre standards, whilst the end credit out takes are some of the funniest out there. Highly recommended viewing to those in need of a pick me up and to those who know that sometimes harmless fun can be a cinematic treat. 7/10