In a comedy and action atmosphere, this movie centers around the journey of the imperial guard, Chon Wang, who has been struggled against kidnapping the princess Pie Pie, as he feels guilty,of does not do his job well, so he goes to America in order to set the princess free, but during his journey, he meets a robber who completes the journey with him, but brings terrible for him, the thing that leads them to prison.
It's a clever variation on the buddy cop picture, with Jackie Chan showing both his comic chops and his martial arts skills, and Owen Wilson doing what he does best-playing a laid-back, chick-magnet California surfer dude.
This is almost Mel Brooks territory: The frontiersmen think the Chinese are Jews, while the white settlers think it's the Sioux who are. This is equal-opportunity nuttiness, and there's a method to it.
Though the film nakedly seeks a wide audience through conventional plotting and characterization—and despite being (like most action movies) guy-centric—Shanghai Noon provides good, clean "family" fun. [Blu-ray]
For Chan, it's a step in the right direction, although he has yet to be given the opportunity to bring the full force of his charisma to bear on an English speaking audience.
You can't get a whole lot less substantial than this, but well-played, friendly banter is tough to do, and the film hits its mark perfectly on that front.
Much of its strength comes from the central clash between Jackie's indomitable energy and Wilson's knowingly anachronistic cool, while lots of visual and verbal gags keep things whistling.
