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Okay the name should tell you that this film is going to
be a western spoof kung fu style, SHANGHAI NOON
(HIGH NOON). The hero's name is Chon Wang
(Jackie Chan) and as his soon to be pal says,
"John Wayne, that is a terrible cowboy name."
Jackie Chan has some excellent co-stars in this
film.
The year is 1881; the place The Forbidden City in China.
A lowly soldier, Chon Wang sees his princess and is smitten by
her. Lucy Liu plays the part of Princess Pei Pei a
Chinese princess who is to be married to a child emperor.
With the help of an American she escapes and heads to
the United States to start a new life. Her escape is
unfortunately really a kidnapping. When the Chinese Emperor
is informed of her kidnapping and the ransom request
he sends an ambassador and three of his most fierce warriors
to bring her back. Chon Wang is desperate to go to her rescue,
the Emperor allows him to go as the servant on Chon's
uncle's (the ambasador) request.
Arriving in the Neveda desert in the Old West the Chinese rescuers end up on a train that
gets robbed by Owen Wilson, a Robert Redford lookalike,
who plays Roy O'Bannon, the leader of an inept gang of train robbers.
One of the robbers goes a little flaky and Chon's uncle is killed.
After an attempt to capture the train robbers Chon is eventually
left alone wandering in the wilderness. After saving an Sioux Indian
child from some Crow attackers, he is taken in by the child's tribe.
They call him Man Who Wears A Dress and after a night of
drugged stupor he ends up married to the chief's beautiful
daughter, played by Brandon Merrill a Native American woman .
They leave in puruit of the Princess neither understanding each
other. The duo eventually meets up with Roy and begins an adventure
that leads to an entertaining confrontation out of an old spaghetti
western.
"I don't know karate, but I know crazy and I know how to use it."
Over all, SHANGHAI NOON is an entertaining film with lots
of good clean fun. Only two people are shot in this film and one of
them really deserves it. Xander Berkeley plays Van Cleef who is a US Marshall
obviously a spoof of the character played by Lee Van Clef
in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. There are lots of near
escapes from death, a smart ass horse, bordellos, treachery, gold and all sorts of
other derring-do. These all make this a fun western spoof. Also, do not expect a quiet, subdued Lucy Liu
in this film, as she is a bit of a brave hellcat that protects herself and her subjects.
When the final confrontation occurs with her captor, Lo Fong (Roger Yuan)
she does herself proud. Oh yeah the right women ends up with the right guys.
This is a non stop action film that is well worth seeing.
Don't wait for the video on this film, it is definitely worth the bucks and a box of popcorn.
Oh yes there are outakes at the end as usual in a Jackie Chan movie.
"Roy is not my real name but what kind of name is Wyatt Earp for a marshall ?"
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