Shanghai Knights
Shanghai Knights | |
---|---|
Directed by | David Dobkin |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Characters by Alfred Gough Miles Millar |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Spyglass Entertainment |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $50 million[2] |
Box office | $88.3 million[2] |
Shanghai Knights is a 2003 American
It was released on February 7, 2003. The film received mixed reviews but it performed well at the box office.[2]
Plot
In 1887, Lord Nelson Rathbone leads a band of
In
Wang travels to
In London, Roy's pocket is picked by a youth named Charlie. After a struggle between Roy, Wang, Charlie, and a gang angered by Charlie stealing on their turf, they are arrested. In Scotland Yard, Inspector Artie Doyle thanks the two for defeating the Fleet Street gang. When they ask about Lin, Artie shows them she is in custody, having attempted to kill Lord Rathbone. Roy is instantly smitten with Lin and gives her a deck of playing cards as a good luck charm. Wang and Roy reunite with Charlie, and he helps them break into a grand estate for shelter, where they obtain an invitation to a gala at Buckingham Palace.
Roy and Wang infiltrate the gala in
At a brothel, Roy overhears Wang try to convince Lin that Roy is an unsuitable husband, even telling her of his gigolo history and suspected infertility. Wang soothes Roy's feelings of betrayal by treating him to a pillow fight with the brothel women. Wang, Roy, and Lin are found and captured by Rathbone, who reveals his plan: In exchange for the seal, Wu Chow will kill the British royal family and frame Lin. Rathbone, the tenth in line for the throne, will then become king. Awaiting death, Roy confesses he spent most of the fortune publishing novels such as Roy O'Bannon Vs. The Mummy, in which he portrayed himself as a hero and Wang as a cowardly sidekick. The two reconcile and Wang says he will not stand between him and Lin. He frees himself and saves Roy.
Wang and Roy consult Artie about Charlie's location. Artie deduces from a hat he dropped that Charlie is at Madame Tussauds. They save him from the Boxers, but lose the seal after the three are forced to hand it over in exchange for Charlie's life, and are then captured by police. Charlie rescues them and reveals that his full name is Charlie Chaplin. They save the royal family from being assassinated by machine gun by Wu Chow, whom Lin kills with a rocket. The three pursue Rathbone to the top of Big Ben. Roy is thrown off, but hangs onto the clock face, while Wang is hopelessly outmatched at swordplay by Rathbone, who repeatedly spares his life to prolong their duel. Wang gives up on trying to outright defeat Rathbone, instead severing the support ropes for the platform they are on. Roy catches Wang as Rathbone falls to his death. Both soon jump after grabbing a portion of the Union Jack flag hanging below the clock face and landing safely inside the Queen's coach.
Roy, Wang, and Artie are
Cast
- Jackie Chan as Chon Wang
- Owen Wilson as Roy O'Bannon
- Donnie Yen as Wu Chow
- Aidan Gillen as Lord Nelson Rathbone
- Fann Wong as Chon Lin
- Tom Fisher as Arthur "Artie" Doyle
- Kim Chan as Chon Wang and Chon Lin's Father
- Gemma Jones as Queen Victoria
- Aaron Johnson as Charlie Chaplin
- Oliver Cotton as Jack the Ripper
- Tom Wu as "Lead Boxer" Liu
- Kelly-Marie Kerr as Clara
- Constantine Gregory as the Mayor of New York City
- Ray Donn as Chinese villager (uncredited)
- Barbara Nedeljáková as Debutante
- Anna-Louise Plowman as Debutante
- Georgina Chapman as Debutante
- Daisy Beaumont as Cigarette girl
- Alison King as Prostitute
- Matt Hill as Deputy
- Barry Stanton as Lord Chancellor
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
- Brad Allan as Street thug / Library thug (uncredited)
- Paul Andreovski as Library thug with sword (double) / English policeman (uncredited)
- Nicky Li
- He Jun
- Wu Gang
- Park Hyun Jin
- Lee In Seob
- Han Guan Hua
Production
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2017) |
Director David Dobkin was personally chosen by Jackie Chan. Dobkin had a difficult time choosing a suitable Asian actress who could do movement work, emote well and speak excellent English. He then saw clips of Fann Wong's videos "Wo lai ye" (2001) and "Qing she yu bai she" (2001) and asked to audition her in London, which she did. She got the role and the number of scenes with her in was increased by thirty percent. According to Jackie Chan's memoir Never Grow Up, Faye Wong from his native city Hong Kong was his first choice, but Fann Wong was incorrectly hired instead.[3]
Aside from
Reception
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the chemistry between Chan and Wilson, the action sequences, and the fun nature of the film, but strong criticism for the plot.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 65% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's consensus states: "A silly, anachronistic mess, but the pairing of Chan and Wilson makes the movie fun."[6]
On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics.[7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[8]
Planned sequel
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2015) |
MGM announced in May 2015 that they were moving forward with Shanghai Dawn. Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Fann Wong are expected to reprise their roles as Chon Wang, Roy O'Bannon and Chon Lin respectively.[13] In September 2016, Jared Hess signed on as director for the film, while both Millar and Gough would develop a screen story with Theodore Riley and Aaron Buchsbaum writing the script for the film.[14][15]
Gough said the third film will be set in China because Chan "wants to showcase China in the way that the first film showcased the old West". Gough added that Chan and Wilson also have a hand in the creative process: "With those films, the collaboration of Jackie and Owen comes out on screen as they get along very well. With that in mind, you want to get their input in the story phase, so that when we got to script, it's based into the DNA of the story."[16] As of 2024, there is no further information or release date for the film.
References
- ^ "Shanghai Knights (12)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- ^ a b c "Shanghai Knights (2003) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
- ^ "Jackie Chan's Memoir 'Never Grow Up': Fann Wong Wasn't His First Choice in 'Shanghai Knights'". Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
- ^ "'Shanghai' wraps". Variety. June 26, 2002. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Czech Republic: Jackie Chan films "Shanghai Knights" on location in Prague". ITN. May 16, 2002. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ "Shanghai Knights". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ "Shanghai Knights". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
- Chicago Sun Times. Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (January 26, 2003). "Shanghai Knights". Variety. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Elvis (February 7, 2003). "FILM REVIEW; Galahad in Shining Cowboy Duds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (2003-03-14). "Shanghai Knights". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ Perry, Spencer (2015-05-14). "MGM Moving Forward with Shanghai Dawn, Starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
- ^ "Shanghai Dawn | News | Movies - Empire". gb: Empireonline.com. 2003-02-20. Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 6, 2016). "'Napoleon Dynamite' Director Jared Hess Tackling 'Shanghai Noon' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ Swinson, Brock (November 23, 2016). "Into the Badlands: Blood-splattered Heroes and the One Degree of Jackie Chan". Creative Screenwriting. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
External links
- Shanghai Knights at IMDb
- Shanghai Knights at AllMovie
- Shanghai Knights at Box Office Mojo