Yet more of the amiable buddy-buddy action comedy staple from the newly Americanised Jackie Chan, who seems to base every American movie on the template created in RUSH HOUR. Martial arts buffs and fans of Chan will undoubtedly find this a pleasant enough viewing experience, with a fast paced plot that takes in just about all of the old Western clichés: I'm talking cowboys, native Americans, slaves working at a mine, the bar-room brawl, tons of prostitutes, the jailbreak, the showdown, plus lots more besides. Superficially, the film is a pleasure to watch, with great photography at a number of key moments and stunning attention to detail in terms of sets and costumes. The only thing out of place is the bizarre music the film uses, which tends to be towards the 'grating' end of the scale.
Fans of Chan, however, will find him getting further and further away from the heights his career reached in the mid to late 1980s. I'm talking about classics such as ARMOUR OF GOD and POLICE STORY. As Chan gets older, we begin to notice some of his stunts are digitally created, stuntmen are starting to pop up, and the various fight sequences just don't last as long as they used to. Don't get me wrong – there are still plenty of cool martial arts battles on display here – it's just that they seem to get fewer and further apart with only flashes of the occasional brilliance that Chan has come to be known for.
The comedy aspect of the film is high, trading mainly on the comic interplay between the extreme characters. Chan actually manages to be irritating a few times here with his overacting whilst his newest foil, laidback sidekick Owen Wilson, is a taste that one definitely needs to get to grips with. At least he is far less annoying than RUSH HOUR's Chris Tucker, which has to be a good thing. The supporting cast is pretty strong – Lucy Liu is remarkable but underused as the princess, and one of my favourite supporting role actors, Xander Berkeley actually gets a GOOD role for a change as the mean sheriff, Nathan Van Cleef. Roger Yuan is sufficiently imposing and skilled athletically to provide menace as the villain of the piece, whilst there are plenty of comedic supporting players to enjoy.
The balance between comedy and action seems to be pretty spot on, but this is a kind of film where the laughs make you smile occasionally rather than laugh out loud. The same effect is true of the action sequences – they're cool and engaging, but none of them are truly spectacular or mind-boggling like they used to be in the old days. I guess we can at least be thankful that Chan is still around to provide half-decent entertainment which at worst makes us feel nostalgic for his older days. Good luck to him. A sequel, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, followed in 2003. Incidentally, this is the newest addition to the strange sub-genre of films, the Eastern Western. Following on from the success of THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE in the early '70s, other notable examples include TIGER ON THE RIVER KWAI, BLOOD MONEY, and KUNG FU BROTHERS IN THE WILD WEST.
Fans of Chan, however, will find him getting further and further away from the heights his career reached in the mid to late 1980s. I'm talking about classics such as ARMOUR OF GOD and POLICE STORY. As Chan gets older, we begin to notice some of his stunts are digitally created, stuntmen are starting to pop up, and the various fight sequences just don't last as long as they used to. Don't get me wrong – there are still plenty of cool martial arts battles on display here – it's just that they seem to get fewer and further apart with only flashes of the occasional brilliance that Chan has come to be known for.
The comedy aspect of the film is high, trading mainly on the comic interplay between the extreme characters. Chan actually manages to be irritating a few times here with his overacting whilst his newest foil, laidback sidekick Owen Wilson, is a taste that one definitely needs to get to grips with. At least he is far less annoying than RUSH HOUR's Chris Tucker, which has to be a good thing. The supporting cast is pretty strong – Lucy Liu is remarkable but underused as the princess, and one of my favourite supporting role actors, Xander Berkeley actually gets a GOOD role for a change as the mean sheriff, Nathan Van Cleef. Roger Yuan is sufficiently imposing and skilled athletically to provide menace as the villain of the piece, whilst there are plenty of comedic supporting players to enjoy.
The balance between comedy and action seems to be pretty spot on, but this is a kind of film where the laughs make you smile occasionally rather than laugh out loud. The same effect is true of the action sequences – they're cool and engaging, but none of them are truly spectacular or mind-boggling like they used to be in the old days. I guess we can at least be thankful that Chan is still around to provide half-decent entertainment which at worst makes us feel nostalgic for his older days. Good luck to him. A sequel, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, followed in 2003. Incidentally, this is the newest addition to the strange sub-genre of films, the Eastern Western. Following on from the success of THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE in the early '70s, other notable examples include TIGER ON THE RIVER KWAI, BLOOD MONEY, and KUNG FU BROTHERS IN THE WILD WEST.