Shanghai Knights (2003)
★★ — Shanghai Knights (2003)
Shanghai Knights arrives as the follow-up to the 2000 hit Shanghai Noon, reuniting Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson for another period action comedy, this time transplanting the duo from the American West to the fog-bound streets of Victorian London. Where the original found its comic energy in the fish-out-of-water Western setting, the sequel leans into British pageantry, Jack the Ripper mythology, and a loose collection of famous historical figures to build its backdrop. The premise sends Chon Wang (Chan) to England after his estranged father is murdered by a Chinese rebel who has fled with an imperial seal, and Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) tags along for reasons that are, as you might expect, largely self-serving. It is the kind of setup that sounds perfectly reasonable on a Friday night, even if it does not hold up to much scrutiny once the credits roll.
The film was directed by David Dobkin, who would go on to helming projects across comedy and drama, and produced through a partnership between Spyglass Entertainment and Touchstone Pictures, with All Knight Productions rounding out the studio arrangement. It runs at a brisk 115 minutes and carries the tagline "A Royal Kick In The Arse", which tells you more or less everything you need to know about the register it is aiming for. Alongside Chan and Wilson, the cast includes Fann Wong, who had appeared in the first film as Chon Wang's sister and returns here in a more prominent role, as well as Aidan Gillen in an antagonist turn and Donnie Yen, a genuinely formidable screen presence whose martial arts credentials are well established in Hong Kong cinema (fans of that world might also enjoy a look at Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, another Hong Kong production with serious action pedigree). Jackie Chan himself, of course, is the engine the whole thing runs on, a performer whose work spans decades, from early roles like those covered in the site's review of Rumble in the Bronx through to later collaborations such as Skiptrace. Whether he is working with big Hollywood budgets or scrappier productions, Chan brings a physicality and warmth that tend to outlast whatever script surrounds him, a quality that has defined a long and varied career including earlier work reviewed here in Gorgeous. Shanghai Knights is, in many respects, a showcase for that quality, for better and for worse.
Shanghai Knights (2003) is a step down from its predecessor, still packed with Jackie Chan’s trademark stunts and charm, but weighed down by a lazy script, flat jokes, and Owen Wilson sleepwalking through his role again. The premise (Chon Wang and Roy O’Bannon teaming up in Victorian London to solve a royal assassination plot) is silly fun on paper, and there are flashes of brilliance: Chan’s fight scenes, his physical comedy, and a few surprisingly clever gags. But as a film, it’s just not that great. The plot is all over the place, the historical references are absurd, and the humour leans too hard on anachronisms and Wilson’s smug, one-note schtick. He doesn’t play off Chan so much as ride his coattails, delivering the same laid-back nonsense that’s been his entire career. The villain is forgettable, the stakes feel fake, and the whole thing lacks the heart or momentum of a real buddy adventure. It’s not unwatchable (Jackie alone makes it worth a viewing) but as a follow-up to Shanghai Noon, it feels like a retread with less magic. Good moments, yes, but not enough to save it. Below average as action comedies go. A few standout fights keep it from sinking, but don’t expect anything memorable beyond Chan doing what he does best. Passable, not essential.
And that really is the nub of it for me. There is a version of this film that could have been genuinely sharp, given the London setting, the period detail, and the talent on screen. Instead, it settles for polished but unremarkable, coasting on goodwill built up by its predecessor and on Chan's considerable ability to make even thin material watchable. The fights have real craft to them, and a couple of the physical comedy sequences land with the kind of timing only Chan seems capable of, but the surrounding film never rises to meet him. If you are a committed fan of his work, it is worth a single viewing for those moments alone. Just do not go in expecting more than you get.
Rating: ★★ | Year: 2003 | Watched: 2025-10-03
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Shanghai Knights (2003) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Rent: Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Jackie Chan: Hand of Death (1976) · Rumble in the Bronx (1995) · Skiptrace (2016) · Gorgeous (1999)
More from Hong Kong: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Hand of Death (1976) · Come Drink with Me (1966) · Street Fighter (1994)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
