Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Instant Favorite.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

When Princess Pei Pei is lured out of China's Forbidden City and taken to America and held for ransom three top Imperial Guards are sent to retrieve her. Chon Wang, a less than top guard also asks to go as he blames himself for her kidnapping. Once in America their train is ambushed by gangsters led by Roy O'Bannon. As a result of this Chon ends up off the train and Roy separates from his gang. Inevitably Chon and Roy soon meet again and end up forming an unlikely alliance; even if Chon is motivated by trying to rescue the princess and Roy is keener to get his hands on the gold intended to pay her ransom. If they are to save her they will have to deal with her kidnapper, a former Imperial Guard, and a corrupt sheriff who is determined to kill them both.This East meets West comedy western is a lot of fun as it plays with classic Western and kung-fu tropes in an amusing way. Jackie Chan is a great lead as he is naturally funny and more than has the skills required for the action scenes. Owen Wilson offers fine support; he too is funny and makes his character likable. While not on screen anywhere near as much Lucy Liu impresses as the spirited princess. A film like this needs good villains and it has two in the form of Roger Yuan and Xander Berkeley. There is plenty of exciting action; none of it too strong though; it is usually more slapstick than violent. There are lots of laughs to be had; these are a good mix of visual gags as well as witty dialogue. Overall I'd say if you enjoy Westerns and want a good laugh you could do a lot worse than this.

Shanghai Noon (2000): Dir: Tom Dey / Cast: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu, Xander Berkeley, Brandon Merrill: Comedy about the collision of two cultures. We have Jackie Chan as an Imperial guard in China as well as Owen Wilson as an amateur train robber who is betrayed by his gang. Chan is on a quest to Carson City to rescue a Princess kidnapped by a traitor. The rest involves a series of mishaps as Chan and Wilson become wanted criminals. Simple and predictable with a lot of action and stunts. Directing debut for Tom Dey who does a fine job at combining the two genres into one comic centerpiece. Chan and Wilson provide great comic chemistry. Chan is out in search of answers and justice while Wilson fumbles through life attaching to anything and anyone who will listen. It is unfortunate that they will wind down to an action climax that halts everything. Lucy Liu is unfortunately working with standard material as the Princess. She had great potential to rise above this due to her celebrity status but remain sheltered in stereotypes here. Xander Berkeley is also featured among notable casting but nothing in supporting roles is very broad. This film purely belongs to the leads and thankfully their chemistry propel the film beyond being what would be consider pitiful in lesser hands. The result is a mediocre yet enjoyable comedy about two cultures and two genres. Score: 6 / 10

I will preface this by saying that I'm really picky when it comes to comedies. That being said, this movie right here seems to think that it's enough to shove a funny stereotype in our faces and then expect us to laugh at it uproariously.I liked this film as an action/adventure film. Jackie Chan is a great martial art lead actor and his talents are showcased well in this film. It's not one of the best he has ever done, but the fight scenes are fun to follow, they're imaginative enough to keep up my interest and the settings have some promise and allow for some cool sequences. Furthermore, the West is filmed with care and all the various locations, while hardly original, look nice and feel genuine.Unfortunately the script is nonsensical, from oneshot characters that make no sense to plot motives and twists that come straight out of nowhere and steal all thunder out of the film. The plot itself is thin to begin with, but when every major conflict is resolved through either a deus ex machina or a cop-out, you get the idea that they really didn't give a damn as long as they could fill the screen with cheap gimmicks and laughs.The humour doesn't help either. There are some scenes that are honestly funny or at least amusing, most of the between Chan and Wilson, who have surprisingly good chemistry together, but most of the jokes are either mindless slapstick or racial stereotypes. Sure, a Chinaman can be funny if done correctly, but a Chinaman alone is not funny by default. Neither is a coward, a Mexican or an Indian. You need actual effort, which this film is unwilling to spend.If you're able to laugh at cheap jokes and clichés, this is not a bad action comedy. Chan and Wilson are talented comedic leads, who would have made this movie work had the script been any better. As it is, it's not to my liking, but I don't regret seeing it either.

Watched this as a kid, and watched it again to really enjoy all the little details. I enjoyed it then and I still enjoy it now, but I'm just at that point where I'm tired of all the stereotyping in films. White man gets all the credit, looks like the cool guy/playboy, while the Chinaman is played for a fool and deemed the sidekick even though he does all the work/fighting. How about we reverse the roles... Make Jackie the ass- kicking playboy. Nope. Of course we will see him play a similar role in the sequel, as well as Rush Hour 1, 2, and 3. I would give it a 5, but I give it a higher rating mainly because I support Jackie for being one of the few successful Asians in Hollywood films, even though it's mainly due to his martial arts skills. I'm still waiting for an Asian actor/actress who becomes a major star for their acting skills and not because they can do their own stunts.