Comedy and Action/Adventure
The Classic Western Gets A Kick In The Pants.
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 ?"

CAST AND CREDITS:
STARRING:
Jackie Chan , Lucy Liu , Owen Wilson , Curtis Armstrong & Sammo Hung
DIRECTED BY:
Tom Dey
WRITTEN BY:
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
PRODUCED BY:
Gary Barber , Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman
DISTRIBUTED BY:
Touchstone Pictures
RATING USA... PG-13 for action violence, some drug humor, language and sensuality
RATING CANADA... Rated AA for action violence, some drug humor, language and sensuality
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