SHANGHAI NOON
Rated PG-13 for martial arts action & some language
Starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu and Roger Yuan
CineSight Rating *** 1/2
When Princess Pei Pei (Liu) is kidnapped from China's Forbidden City, imperial guard Chon Wang (Chan) goes after her. He tracks the priness down in Carson City, Nevada, where she's being held for ransom by a rebel guard turned western bad guy (Yuan). Along the way, Wang teams up with an inept but likable outlaw by the name of Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), who has a dubious interest in both the ransom gold and the princess.
DVD Features
* Widescreen Only Format
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SHANGHAI NOON is the best of Jackie Chan's Hollywood movies thus far. While the story is essentially quite simple, the film is jam-packed with humor, stunts and action. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson make a great 90's 'Butch and Sundance' duo under the direction of Tom dey. Bolstered by a bright and witty script, the odd couple of Wilson's free-wheeling cowboy dude and Chan's uptight, out of place stranger take on the western traditions and turn them on their heads. The disc has a whole string of additional goodies; the most fun being 'Shanghai Surprise', the interactive quiz which uses clips from the movie and animations as you rack up your score. SHANGHAI NOON is worth purchasing to enjoy time and again.
* The villain Lo Han's name means 'bone white devil' - a most unflattering reference to foreigners.
* The chinese characters shown during the opening credits are from a translation of "The Frog Prince".
* At one point Marshall Van Cleef states "By the power vested in me by the Territory of Nevada..." Nevada became a state in 1864 but the movie is set in 1881.