Shanghai Noon DVD

Jackie Chan takes on the Old West in this campy sendup of some of the greatest Westerns ever made. When Princess Pei-Pei (Lucy Liu) is kidnapped from the Forbidden City in 1881 China, Chon Wang accompanies the three bravest Imperial Guardsmen on a journey to Carson City to rescue her. Along the way he cannot shake train robber Roy O'Bannon (an eminently likable Owen Wilson), who is after the pot of gold the Guardsmen have brought from China to ransom the princess. The film pays direct homage to such classic Westerns as HIGH NOON, HANG 'EM HIGH, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, BLAZING SADDLES, and, primarily, John Ford's THE SEARCHERS in ways that are charmingly familiar. The film is chock-full of saloon brawls and shootouts that are turned upside down by Chan's martial artistry as he battles gun-toting baddies with his trademark chops and kicks as well as makeshift weapons (including a fabulous horseshoe slingshot). Cowriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and director Tom Dey don't leave out a thing--trains are robbed, brothels are visited, whiskey bottles are shattered, horses are jumped onto from balconies, tin cans are shot at, townspeople cheer for a hanging--and our heroes even take a bath that would make Mel Brooks proud.

An action-comedy with a decidedly Western twist, SHANGHAI NOON features more acrobatics from superstar Jackie Chan. Chon Wang (Chan) is a dedicated member of the Chinese Imperial Guard. When the emperor's former captain, Lo Fong (Yuan), oversees an illegal operation that involves kidnapping Princess Pei Pei (Liu) and bringing her to America's wild West, it's up to Chong to save the day. Eventually partnering with the wise-cracking bandit Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), Chong uses his Eastern skills to tackle the wild West. SHANGHAI NOON is an high-kicking adventure with great comic chemistry between stars Chan and Wilson.

Theatrical release: May 26, 2000. Even before the movie opened, the writers were hard at work on a sequel. The movie was filmed around Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and on location in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The movie was based on an original idea from Jackie Chan. SHANGHAI NOON was Tom Dey's directorial debut. The film includes Kid Rock's "Cowboy" and Uncle Kracker's "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah." The video for "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" features Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan.

Shanghai Noon Reviews:

"...Wilson is flat-out hilarious....A slap-happy treat..." -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"...[Chan and Wilson are] perfectly matched in temperament and timing, they make for a classic duo whose cinematic exploits have surely only begun..." -- Wade Major, Box Office

"...The hilarious, knockabout SHANGHAI NOON, Jackie Chan's best American picture to date, breathes fresh life into the virtually dormant comedy-western..." -- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

"...A wink at Westerns, martial arts and buddy movies -- enriched by a goofy performance by Owen Wilson, who would steal the movie if Chan were not so clever at sharing it with him..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"...The movie benefits from an unusually witty, high-spirited script....it's giddily, effervescently funny..."-- A. O. Scott, New York Times

"...[A] smoothly filmed, generally funny and brilliantly titled Western..."-- Mike Clark, USA Today

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