Shanghai Knights

Plot

When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds.

Release Year: 2003

Rating: 6.1/10 (36,839 voted)

Critic's Score: 58/100

Director:
David Dobkin

Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong

Storyline
When a Chinese rebel murders Chon's estranged father and escapes to England, Chon and Roy make their way to London with revenge on their minds. Chon's sister, Lin, has the same idea, and uncovers a worldwide conspiracy to murder the royal family but almost no one will believe her.

Writers: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar

Cast:

Jackie Chan
–

Chon Wang

Owen Wilson
–

Roy O'Bannon

Fann Wong
–

Chon Lin

Aaron Johnson
–

Charlie Chaplin

Aidan Gillen
–

Lord Nelson Rathbone

Tom Fisher
–

Insp. Artie Doyle

(as Thomas Fisher)

Donnie Yen
–

Wu Chow

Oliver Cotton
–

Jack the Ripper

Alison King
–

Prostitute

Constantine Gregory
–

The Mayor

Jonathan Harvey
–

Fagin #1

Richard Haas
–

Street Preacher

Anna-Louise Plowman
–

Debutante

(as Anna Louise Plowman)

Georgina Chapman
–

Debutante

John Owens
–

Server

Taglines:
A Royal Kick In The Arse

Details

Official Website:
Disney Enterprises, Inc [United States] |

Release Date: 7 February 2003

Filming Locations: Action Under Water Studios, Hertford Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office Details

Budget: $50,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: SGD 1,500,000
(Singapore)
(1 February 2003)
(60 Screens)

Gross: $88,323,487
(Worldwide)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

There are several references to Sherlock Holmes in this movie. One of them is that the "bad guy" is named Lord Rathbone. Basil Rathbone was one of the first actors to play Sherlock Holmes in a movie.

Goofs:

Anachronisms:
The film was set in 1887, and ends with Roy O'Bannon talking about Hollywood and the new fascinating invention (Film) that is growing there. However, moving pictures weren't invented until 1894, in France, by the brothers Lumiére. And it took years before Hollywood came on the scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Chon Wang's Father:
You are not permitted to gaze at the Imperial Seal.

User Review

Fantastic sequel!

Rating:

It's an odd thing, this syndrome where people seem to automatically dislike
a sequel more than the original. I don't know whether its subconscious or
what but the IMDb proves it; Almost everywhere I go, people seem to agree
(at least movie lovers) that "Aliens" is even better than "Alien", yet
"Aliens" is listed #85 on IMDb's top 250, "Alien" is #61. Then there is
another masterpiece: "The Godfather", all though many people seem to agree
that however great, "The Godfather Part II" is even better. Not so according
to the votes from IMDb-users: "The Godfather" is #1, "Part II" is #4. "Star
Wars" is #10, "The Empire Strikes Back" is #15, and the list goes on and on.
It's as if the general public goes into sequel-sucks-mode before they see
the film and automatically would give it a lower grade no matter what. This
also seems to be the case with "Shanghai Knights". Like many of my movie
geek friends I thought the first film was great, but "Shanghai Knights" took
me by great surprise and turned out to be even better, much more fun, better
fights, greater villains, greater scenery, bigger plot, more film
references, and I can go on. Still, it gets a 6,4 average while the first
one gets a 6,7. Apparently it is one of the laws of physics that all though
you personally feel a sequel outdoes the original, the masses would have you
believe otherwise (the "Toy Story"-movies being the exception that proves
the rule).

Well, we're all better off without the masses anyway. That's why nature
invented things like the plague!

Now to my review of "Shanghai Knights":

I rarely laugh out loud to comedies unless it's Monty Python-type comedy
filled with unpredictable insane humour, but "Shanghai Knights" had me in
stitches several times. I really liked the first film, but the sequel is
filled with references to everything you ever found fascinating about
Britain and the charming duo of Chan and Wilson this time reaches its peak.
But what really gets this film going is fight scenes like you've never seen
them before! I am serious, I've watched Jackie Chan-films since I was a
little kid and everyone knows he is the Buster Keaton of martial arts, but
this time the fights – choreographed by Jackie himself – are so exhilarating
to watch, boasting with playfulness to such a degree it leaves you
dumbstruck in awe. All though it is apparent they used wires on some of the
stunts, the mix of wire- and wireless stunts seem to balance themselves
perfectly, giving a show fit for the greatest circus on Earth! It is hard to
put to words the sheer delight it is to watch Jackie Chan (now close to 50!)
beating up a gang of crooks while at the same time doing an homage to Gene
Kelly and "Singin' in the Rain"! It gave me that rare sensation I remember
getting the first time I saw Chaplin perform the "dance of the rolls" in the
"Gold Rush", Buster Keaton caught in the middle of that hurricane in
"Steamboat Bill Jr." or when Donald O'Connor ran up the wall in "Singin' in
the Rain". It is a rare cinematic treat, created by and performed to
excellence by Jackie Chan, again underlining what a rare and unique screen
artist he is and how grateful we should be for him risking his back to give
us that joy. People who still think of him as only a martial arts artist
should take a hike. He's been a legend in his own right for close to two
decades, one of the greatest entertainers of his generation (if not THEE
greatest) so I ask you this: when will they give him an Honorary Academy
Award!? I am sure Chaplin, Keaton and Gene Kelly would have supported this
wholeheartedly, had they been alive today!

A great deal is also owed to the writing pair of Alfred Gough and Miles
Millar (Made Men, Spider-Man 2) who pepper the story with quirky charm – the
type Chan & Wilson seem born to play, once in a while serving up hysterical
one-liners that should crack up anyone with an IQ over 50 (the best one has
to be the subtitle after one of the characters has an encounter with Jack
the Ripper).

Not surprisingly many of the people with an IQ *under* 50 bothered to fill
the Goof-section up with all the factual errors in "Shanghai Knights" when
it is just the thing you have to expect from a crazy comedy of this kind.
For as long as I can remember I've enjoyed British history, I know the first
real automobile wasn't invented until 1889, I'm a big fan of the Jack the
Ripper-legend who terrorized London in 1888, I love the work of Chaplin who
was born in 1889, I know Arthur Conan Doyle was originally a doctor of
optometry, but not once did I mind all these things clashing in 1887's
London, it is pure fantasy and should be enjoyed as such. Wonderful escapism
played to perfection by great talent in front of and behind the camera. The
writers didn't intend to re-create history, they just did as Jackie Chan
would do in a fight: take every thing available and throw it in to make it
more entertaining to the viewer! Then again there are people who have NO
relation to any of the above-listed things and not surprisingly they won't
find "Shanghai Knights" that entertaining. Which is really sad, for if you
love movies you should *really* learn to love history as well, as the two
can make a fabulous pair whether it is done in the name of fantasy or
fiction.

Of course director David Dobkin also deserves special praise for never
letting the heart and soul of the film getting lost in all the
commotion.

I didn't mention Owen Wilson in all this, but don't get me wrong, he's great
as usual. Wilson and Chris Tucker (Rush Hour) has to be the greatest thing
happening to Jackie Chan since he discovered the art of mixing comedy with
martial arts. And of course the supporting actors deserves mentioning,
especially Aidan Gillen who makes a wonderful sneaky upper-class villain
(named Rathbone, not exactly the most inventive referance to Hollywood –
legendary actor Basil Rathbone – but still wonderful the same) and Aaron
Johnson as a kid who looks and acts like he was just pulled out of "Oliver!"
with great conviction (a scene where Wilson tells him of for being a an
orphan is both heartbreaking and side-splittingly funny at the same time).
Fann Wong also does a great English language-speaking film debut as Jackie
Chan's sister.

To sum it all up; leaving me laughing to the point of exhaustion, "Shanghai
Knights" is one of this years most pleasant surprises!