MovieFreak.com - Shanghai Knights DVD Review

Chon Wang (Chan) and Roy O’Bannon (Wilson) travel to London to find the rebel who murdered Chon's father and shake up Victorian Britain in the process. Chon's sister, Lin (Wong), also thirsty for vengeance, stumbles into what appears to be a conspiracy to kill off the royal family.

Shanghai Noon was a moderate hit grossing approximately $55 million at the box office. That was in 2000. Some three years later, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson team up again for a new adventure, but will this one be as exciting and fun as Noon? Knights collected $60 million at the box office, but counting inflation, both films grossed about the same. However, Knights is not exactly on par with Noon, though there are redeeming factors to speak of, namely action and jokes.

Jackie Chan is back in old form. He can still jump, stretch, bend, balance, punch, fly—well the list goes on. His character is again on a mission, but this time to locate his father’s killer. But before this happens, he enlists the help of Owen Wilson’s character. Wilson is enthusiastic and loose once again as Roy O’Bannon, although some of his antics come across as weak. Still, both Chan and Wilson create a workable chemistry, even if it seems a bit less so in here than in the original. Nevertheless, buddies always get things done. Well, in the case with these two guys, things go wrong as soon as they step foot on English soil. A fight breaks out, and before both guys know it, they get thrown in jail—a cell in Scotland Yard, no less.

Shanghai Knights is pretty straightforward in terms of story, and the emotional attachment of Chan’s character to his father is mostly believable, so the whole revenge/finding the killer plot works decently. However, this is such a dramatic turn for the sequel, and there needs to be comedy to lighten things up. Therefore, to make way for fun and adventure, screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who co-wrote the original as well, reduce the revenge plot to second nature. Taking center stage then are chocks of comedy and fight scenes. The comedy works for the most part, even if some jokes fall flat. The action is again incredible and fun to watch. Jackie Chan and his group of collaborators again stage inventive, humorous, and exciting fight scenes. My two favorite fights are the ones in the library and the one towards the end with Donnie Yen.

Furthermore, Shanghai Knights moves just about right. Some scenes only work partially, while others move right along. Still in terms of story, the film could have benefited from more depth. Some scenes do not necessarily add much to the progression, and even if the pillow fight scene is fun to watch, it’s a little out of context with the rest of the story. The script is fine, but it is not near the originality of Shanghai Noon. It works in terms that this production is a sequel. Director David Dobkin does a fairly good job of directing the film. Chan and Wilson do their thing and it is fun to see them team up again as the most unlikely pair of buddies. Bad guy Aidan Gillen is not too bad, though his demeanor tends to go over the top a little.

In a nutshell, while Shanghai Knights is not as original as Shanghai Noon, it still is a fun and exciting film. The fights are cool and the comedy works for the most part. With a likeable cast as well, Shanghai Knights makes for decent home entertainment and gives a good enough reason to spend two hours in front of the TV on a Saturday night.

Buena Vista presents Shanghai Knights in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The film’s colors translate very well here. They are sharp and saturated nicely. Color detail is sharp and consistent. Specks or dirt do not bother the print; it is in very good shape. However, edge enhancement affects the transfer, including halos present in a few scenes. Dark tones and black level are consistent and solid. Overall, this video presentation is accurate and commendable, except for some of issues.

Buena Vista presents Shanghai Knights in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Surround usage is evident, but it scatters throughout the presentation. The soundtrack concentrates on the front speakers most of the time. Sound effects or general sound is located in the front, while the rear speakers do not get a lot of attention. On a positive note, Randy Edelman’s score comes through very nicely. Dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand also. Overall, this audio presentation is just fine, but not as good as it could be.

Commentary by David Dobkin / Alfred Gough & Miles Millar – Please note that these are two separate commentary tracks, so for the sake of information I am combining my comments. Dobkin tends to reflect more on the story that plays out on screen and the casual atmosphere of the production. Since he’s talking alone, the track is not very conversational. Gough and Millar provide a more lively commentary, obviously because they talk back and forth, and to each other. This track mirrors the one by Dobkin in more than a few ways, except this track is a bit more fun to listen to. It’s a decent track. Nevertheless, it would’ve been easier and more constructive if all three recorded a track together.

Deleted Scenes (~28 mins) – This section includes both deleted and extended scenes. Most of the deleted scenes are not in the film for obvious reasons, but seeing them here is nice. The various extended fight scenes included here are quite fun to watch, even if they go on longer than necessary. The total running time doesn’t reflect the amount of excised footage, by the way. Overall, this is a reasonable way to spend a half hour. It helps if you liked the film.

Rounding out the extras is a 9-minute featurette about the film’s action and stunts, aptly titled "Fight Manual." Jackie Chan and David Dobkin sit down together to provide both interesting and boring comments about their respective approach to directing fight scenes. Clips from the film and behind-the-scenes footage make this featurette more worthwhile. This is not a making-of featurette, mind you. Also, there's a brief 2-minute featurette, called "Action Overload," containing clips of action scenes from the film are cut together with music to create a sort of music video, or silent film, if you will.

On the whole, these two featurettes are perfectly fine, but they don’t combine for much meat. A making-of featurette should have been included, but alas, ‘tis all that is available. On a side note, bonus trailers for The Recruit and Bringing Down the House are available, although neither trailers for Shanghai Knights nor Shanghai Noon are included, peculiarly.

You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 114-minute feature is organized into seventeen chapters.

Shanghai Knights includes some fun moments, especially the excitement of the fight scenes and the humor in some of the jokes. This sequel intends to entertain, even if it means story is not as important like in the original. Buena Vista presents the film with some very decent video and audio quality, while the extras provide some good fun. Make Shanghai Knights a rental and you should be entertained just fine.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	8
THE EXTRAS	6
OVERALL (not an average)	7