Ripper Fu: Shanghai Knights Meet Jack the Ripper - Page 2

THE GOOD: Oh, gee, where do I start? First off, let me put my cards on the table: I love martial arts movies, and I think that Jackie Chan is one of the finest physical comedians in cinema history. So you might assume that it's a given that I would like Shanghai Knights. But actually, since I'm not remotely a fan of Shanghai Noon (and since Owen Wilson is one of the few actors that I actively avoid watching on screen), all bets are off on this one. But yes, I did think that Shanghai Knights was loads of fun.

For starters, Owen Wilson is actually funny in it, which is certainly a plus in a comedy. Chan is always entertaining to watch, no matter what the movie, and in this film, his love of classic screen comedy really comes through. In Shanghai Knights, he pays tribute to a number of his screen heroes... including Gene Kelly (his favorite choreographer), Buster Keaton (his favorite physical comedian/stuntman), Charlie Chaplin, and even Harold Lloyd. Chan, of course, makes each of these elements his own--

as he mimics Buster Keaton gags...

as he draws Kelly's Singin' in the Rain choreography into his own fight choreography...

and as he imperils his characters on the minute hand of a huge clock tower (Big Ben???) in a clear tip of the hat to Harold Lloyd...

In addition to all the comedy-tribute hijinks, Singapore-Chinese actress Fann Wong is a real "find" for American cinema. And Aiden Gill brings out all the charm, all the malevolence, and all the gentlemanly love of a good swordfight in his portrayal of the tensely smirky evil Lord Rathbone.

And then there's Donnie Yen (star of Iron Monkey and featured martial artist in a wealth of Hong Kong movies starring the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li). I mean, can you believe that Jackie Chan has the self-assurance to put Donnie Yen in the movie... and let Yen actually win the Kung Fu fight on the barge??? (Chon Lin, of course comes to the rescue before Yen's evil Wu Chow dispatches her brother, but she wins only by... "cheating").

Article Author: Cindy Collins Smith

Cindy Collins Smith is a writer/editor with contributions in several Midnight Marquee/Luminary Press books—including the recently published You're Next: Loss of Identity in the Horror Film. She is known in Ripper circles as the owner of the Hollywood …

Visit Cindy Collins Smith's author page — Cindy Collins Smith's Blog