This unpretentious comedy has wooden acting, a few very funny spots and great stunt fighting by Jackie Chan. This was my first Jackie Chan flick, and I enjoyed it enough to try another - probably the sequel, Shanghai Knights. Inclusion of puns is often a reliable indication that a comedy will be lame but the puns are good (Shanghai Noon? Chon Wang?) and the comedy is better. The movie fails to grab the audience for the first 15 or 20 minutes but then finds its stride and becomes more engaging. Many other reviewers comment on the chemistry between Chan and Owen Wilson (which gets better as the film progresses), but there is a total lack of chemistry between Liu and Chan. Indeed, the scenes with the most passion are the ones between Liu and bad guy Lo Fong (played by Roger Yuan). And Brandon Merrill sizzles, although no one in the film seems to notice. After about twenty minutes my wife said "everyone is just saying their lines." I did lower my rating for bad acting, but then gave extra credit for Chan's acrobatic, interactive fight choreography. The fight scenes are both funny and entertaining. I gave it a 6 out of 10.
Review of Shanghai Noon
