To be candid, Jackie's previous American endeavor, "Rush Hour," turned to be somewhat of a disappointment for me. The action was there, as was the clichéd storyline, although Chris Tucker as a co-star did not necessarily appeal to me; I don't find 26-year-olds acting as if they were in their teenage years particularly amusing.
Thus, it was with some skepticism that I went to watch "Shanghai Noon" after hearing that Chan would once again be paired with an American actor. I expected big action and excruciatingly tedious interactions between the two main leads, but was oddly enough provided with the opposite impression.
The highlight of this film comes in the form of Chan's and Wilson's complementary roles. Wilson plays the part of the outspoken, wild cowboy, while Chan opts to convey his feelings through action, following his typical style--an homage to the great silent classics of the past. Wilson's wit is subtle enough to highlight the talents of Chan, and what Wilson himself does not possess, Chan brings out in him through what he has to offer to the silver screen. It's a rather remarkable accomplishment, which in several scenes creates a somewhat touching spectacle.
So where does the film falter? Most of the action scenes are really inspired, and feature ingenious uses of ordinary items such as trees or ropes, but there is one main difference between the two actors: one is a cowboy, the other a martial artist. As a result, all of the conflicts in the story when the two characters are present consist of different enemies--a gun-rearing adversary for Wilson, and a martial artist or hand-fighting foe for Chan. In these moments, the film separates the two characters and leads them to different environments, which detaches the viewer to the point where it becomes painfully obvious that there is no real main conflict: it is simply two characters fighting a motley crew of random enemies.
The detachment provided by these scenes often leads the viewer to find something else to draw themselves into the film with; as a result, the performance of Wilson -slightly- steals the show for the majority of the story. The director obviously attempts to balance this out by adding emotive scenes in which the two characters bond to a certain extent, though by the end of the film one tends to recall more about Wilson's acting than Chan's feats, which is quite a shame.
Chan is growing older, and as a result is more restricted to the style of stunts that he can accomplish without heavily jeopardizing his life. Yet this film remains his strongest American attempt thus far, and features some astounding scenery with a wonderful orchestral accompaniment. It should prove to be a delight even to those who are not familiar with Chan's earlier material.
Thus, it was with some skepticism that I went to watch "Shanghai Noon" after hearing that Chan would once again be paired with an American actor. I expected big action and excruciatingly tedious interactions between the two main leads, but was oddly enough provided with the opposite impression.
The highlight of this film comes in the form of Chan's and Wilson's complementary roles. Wilson plays the part of the outspoken, wild cowboy, while Chan opts to convey his feelings through action, following his typical style--an homage to the great silent classics of the past. Wilson's wit is subtle enough to highlight the talents of Chan, and what Wilson himself does not possess, Chan brings out in him through what he has to offer to the silver screen. It's a rather remarkable accomplishment, which in several scenes creates a somewhat touching spectacle.
So where does the film falter? Most of the action scenes are really inspired, and feature ingenious uses of ordinary items such as trees or ropes, but there is one main difference between the two actors: one is a cowboy, the other a martial artist. As a result, all of the conflicts in the story when the two characters are present consist of different enemies--a gun-rearing adversary for Wilson, and a martial artist or hand-fighting foe for Chan. In these moments, the film separates the two characters and leads them to different environments, which detaches the viewer to the point where it becomes painfully obvious that there is no real main conflict: it is simply two characters fighting a motley crew of random enemies.
The detachment provided by these scenes often leads the viewer to find something else to draw themselves into the film with; as a result, the performance of Wilson -slightly- steals the show for the majority of the story. The director obviously attempts to balance this out by adding emotive scenes in which the two characters bond to a certain extent, though by the end of the film one tends to recall more about Wilson's acting than Chan's feats, which is quite a shame.
Chan is growing older, and as a result is more restricted to the style of stunts that he can accomplish without heavily jeopardizing his life. Yet this film remains his strongest American attempt thus far, and features some astounding scenery with a wonderful orchestral accompaniment. It should prove to be a delight even to those who are not familiar with Chan's earlier material.