Shanghai Noon (2000)
★★½ — Shanghai Noon (2000)
Shanghai Noon arrived in the summer of 2000 as Touchstone Pictures' bid to repeat the buddy-comedy formula that had made Chan's Rush Hour (1998) a massive hit, pairing him this time with a Western setting rather than a modern American city. The script came from Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who would go on to create the Smallville television series, and the film marked the feature debut of director Tom Dey, a commercials veteran who would follow it with Showtime (2002) before largely moving into television. Production took place across Alberta, Canada, standing in for the Nevada frontier. Owen Wilson, still best known at the time for supporting work in Wes Anderson films, got his first major studio lead here, and the pairing with Chan proved commercially comfortable, generating a sequel, Shanghai Knights, in 2003.
Shanghai Noon (2000) is a perfectly fine mashup of kung fu and Wild West tropes, light, silly, and built entirely on the charm of Jackie Chan doing Jackie Chan things. He plays a Chinese imperial guard who rides into the American frontier to rescue a kidnapped princess, only to get tangled in train robberies, saloon brawls, and Owen Wilson’s lazy drawl. The action is fun, inventive, and full of Chan’s signature blend of precision and comedy, whether he’s fighting in a barn or using horseshoes like brass knuckles. But let’s be honest: Owen Wilson, as the bumbling outlaw Roy O’Bannon, basically sleepwalks through the film with the same smug grin and ad-libbed nonsense he’s used in every role since 1998. He doesn’t elevate the movie, he just coasts on it, stealing scenes not through talent, but sheer repetition of a schtick that should’ve worn out by now. His performance feels less like chemistry with Chan and more like a guy reading cue cards between yawns. Still, anything with Jackie Chan is going to be at least entertaining. And this one delivers enough laughs, stunts, and fish-out-of-water humour to qualify as a decent time-waster. It’s not essential Chan, not even top-tier action-comedy, but it’s got heart and a few great sequences. Forgettable, uneven, but saved by Chan’s effort and a few solid gags. Watchable if you’re in the mood for dumb fun. Just don’t expect Owen Wilson to do any actual work.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2000 | Watched: 2025-10-02
Where to watch (UK)
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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 adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
