Shanghai Knights film review

certificate_12A

SHANGHAI KNIGHTS

The unlikely pairing of Chan and Wilson proved a surprising success first time out, but in this sequel to the amusing Shanghai Noon the surprise is how remarkably unfunny it is. The healthy store of goodwill engendered by the original soon evaporates and, as hard as Wilson and Chan work, with such drab material, even their abundance of charm and comic gifts aren't enough to salvage much from this wreckage of a sequel.

Sticking them both in a variety of stupid outfits and placing them in incongruous settings is not by itself funny. Had as much attention been paid to assembling a decent script as was devoted to the elaborate sets and costumes, then things might have fared better. As it is, Shanghai Knights smacks of a hastily assembled follow-up designed to quickly cash in on the fortunes of its predecessor. Chan and Wilson share an undoubted spark together, which makes this failed opportunity all the more disappointing.

This time round the hapless duo find themselves in England, a country heralded as "Ass soup" by the womanising Roy O'Bannon (Wilson). Set during Victoria's reign, historical accuracy is sacrificed in order to assemble a cast of historical figures that includes Jack The Ripper, Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Conan Doyle. They are there in pursuit of the murderer of Chon Wang's (Chan) estranged father. Once there, they hook up with Chon's sister Lin (Fann Wong) who shares her brother's martial artistry and becomes the focus of O'Bannon's amorous attentions. As often in Chan's films, many of the best moments come courtesy of the acrobatic and inventive fight sequences. One routine involving umbrellas is a witty homage to 'Singin' In The Rain', while another makes clever use of clay vases.

What little humour there is usually comes at the expense of ridiculing the British, and sadly all too often includes tired jokes of the 'Spotted Dick' variety. Little effort is devoted to making sense of proceedings. It's almost as if the writers had an outlandish idea and then figured out a tenuous way to incorporate it into the plot. It's the only explanation for the inclusion of such witless moments as a pillow fight involving Wang, O'Bannon and a bevy of girls.

Another staple of Chan's movies is the outtake sequence included at the end. It's unfortunate that this short series proffered more laughs than the preceding two hours.