SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: SHANGHAI KNIGHTS

"SHANGHAI KNIGHTS"
(2003) (Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	None	Extreme	Moderate	Extreme

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Heavy	None	Moderate

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Moderate	Mild	Extreme

QUICK TAKE:: Action/Adventure/Comedy: An Asian sheriff teams up with a laidback cowboy and travels to London to find the person responsible for his father's murder.

PLOT:

It's 1887 and Chon Wang (JACKIE CHAN) is the sheriff in Carson City, Nevada who can't believe that the exploits of his former associate, Roy O'Bannon (OWEN WILSON), have now been put into print. Yet, Wang soon has more to worry about when he gets word that his father has been murdered, the Imperial Seal his family had been guarding was stolen, and that his sister, Chon Lin (FANN WONG), has followed the murderers to London.

Accordingly, Wang heads for New York to find Roy and reclaim his half of the money Roy was supposed to invest for them. Not surprisingly, he's lost that and is in trouble with the law again. After eluding them, Wang and Roy then stow away in a cargo hold to get to London. Once there, and following a run-in with Charlie (AARON JOHNSON), a larcenous street urchin, as well as a street gang, they meet Artie Doyle (THOMAS FISHER) of Scotland Yard.

He's happy that they helped nab that gang, but is unhappy to report that Lin has been jailed due to reportedly trying to kill Lord Rathbone (AIDAN GILLEN), the Queen's cousin and tenth in line for the throne. It turns out he's in cahoots with Wu Chan (DONNIE YEN) who wants to use the Imperial Seal to gain control of China all while helping Rathbone eliminate those ahead of him on the power list.

From that point on, and as Roy becomes sweet on Lin, the three of them, with help from Artie and Charlie, set out to prove the conspiracy and avenge the murder of Wang and Lin's father.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they liked the first movie, are fans of any in the cast or like martial arts pics, it's a good bet they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For action violence and sexual content.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: JACKIE CHAN plays an Asian sheriff in America's Old West who travels to London with his former partner to find the man responsible for murdering his father. Along the way, he fights various villains and performs some wild stunts.
OWEN WILSON plays his laidback and sarcastic cowboy "partner" who joins Wang on his quest. He also cavorts with the ladies, uses some profanity and makes fun of the Brits.
FANN WONG plays Wang's sister who's just as proficient at martial arts as he is and similarly wants to avenge their father's murder.
AIDAN GILLEN plays a British lord who wants to use murder to gain control of the monarchy. He's responsible for killing Wang's father.
DONNIE YEN plays his Asian counterpart and co-conspirator who has similar, deadly aspirations.
AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; OWEN WILSON plays his laidback and sarcastic cowboy "partner" who joins Wang on his quest. He also cavorts with the ladies, uses some profanity and makes fun of the Brits.
FANN WONG plays Wang's sister who's just as proficient at martial arts as he is and similarly wants to avenge their father's murder.
AIDAN GILLEN plays a British lord who wants to use murder to gain control of the monarchy. He's responsible for killing Wang's father.
DONNIE YEN plays his Asian counterpart and co-conspirator who has similar, deadly aspirations.
AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; FANN WONG plays Wang's sister who's just as proficient at martial arts as he is and similarly wants to avenge their father's murder.
AIDAN GILLEN plays a British lord who wants to use murder to gain control of the monarchy. He's responsible for killing Wang's father.
DONNIE YEN plays his Asian counterpart and co-conspirator who has similar, deadly aspirations.
AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; AIDAN GILLEN plays a British lord who wants to use murder to gain control of the monarchy. He's responsible for killing Wang's father.
DONNIE YEN plays his Asian counterpart and co-conspirator who has similar, deadly aspirations.
AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; DONNIE YEN plays his Asian counterpart and co-conspirator who has similar, deadly aspirations.
AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; AARON JOHNSON plays a young and larcenous street urchin who steals from Wang and Roy but eventually helps them.
THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.; THOMAS FISHER plays a Scotland Yard inspector who assists Wang and Roy, but would rather be writing novels. He briefly gets drunk.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this action/adventure film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 4 uses of the "s" word, with some slang terms for genitalia, other expletives and some colorful phrases also being uttered.

Sexually related dialogue and comedy material is present (including some about the Kama Sutra), while some prostitutes come on to the two main characters (who are later seen nude with them, although the explicit parts are hidden from the viewer). Some of those women and others wear revealing clothing.

Violence includes various non-graphic deaths (from various actions), attempts on others' lives, and all sorts of martial arts related fighting and sword fights, etc. It's possible that some of those scenes could be suspenseful to some viewers (although most are played for action rather than true suspense), while all of the fighting and stunts, etc. might be enticing for some kids to imitate.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some drink (one to the point of being somewhat intoxicated), and an adult man and his sister must deal with their father's murder. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Roy pours champagne for various women and himself (and three of them drink from the same glass).
Charlie pours brandy for Roy.
Various people have champagne at an event where Roy states he's going to get some whiskey to wash out his mouth.
Various people drink.
Roy downs various shots of liquor in a bar.
Roy and Wang ask Artie if he's been drinking and he states he always does when he's been fired (he appears a bit intoxicated).

BLOOD/GORE: None.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Rathbone is responsible for murdering Wang's father, trying to kill Wang and Roy, and plotting to kill most of the Royal Family.
Wu Chan also has both for conspiring with him in most of those instances (and for being the gunman in the latter).
Charlie is a pickpocket and routinely steals from others.
A local London thug has a bad attitude toward Roy, Wang and Charlie.
Roy is purposefully disrespectful to a palace guard (while trying to distract him).
Roy jokes that there's no difference between people from India and China (as he has Wang dressed up like the former). Roy then tells Wang to bob his head in an exaggerated fashion to appear Indian.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Scenes listed under "Violence" might also be suspenseful to some viewers, but most of the action and fight ones are played more for entertainment than true suspense.
Lin hits Rathbone as he tries to shoot the guys with his small pistol. More struggling ensues with Rathbone then locking her, Wang and Roy in a burning barn (they get out by driving an old car through the door).
Jack the Ripper approaches Lin, but she easily dispatches him by kicking him over a bridge.
Roy and Wang find themselves tied up and hanging upside down over a body of water into which they're about to be lowered. Wang escapes and fights with various men (kicking, etc.) while trying to free Roy who's repeatedly dunked into the water and then back out again. He's eventually dropped all of the way in and sinks to the bottom, with Wang diving in to save him (as a machine gun is fired at them). Most of that is played for action and laughs.
Roy and then Wang end up hanging onto a massive clock hand on the front of Big Ben, hundreds of feet above the ground (and have to figure out how to get down).

GUNS/WEAPONS: Knives/Swords/Pistols/Machine guns/Arrows/Crossbow: Used to threaten or attack others and, in a few instances, to kill. See "Violence" for details.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Bullsh*t," "Full of sh*t," "You little Punk," "Bloody" (adjective), "Piss off," "Jerk," "This country blows," "Freaking me out," "Suck," "As big as a monkey's ball," "I'm a bat out of hell," "Nuts" (crazy), "Loser," "Who the hell are these guys?" and "Are you going to kick my ass?"
All of the martial arts action, fighting and wild stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate.
Roy says he hears that London is "ass soup" (meaning lots of pretty girls there).

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A heavy amount of action-oriented suspense music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 4 "s" words, 5 slang terms for male genitals ("d*ck" - used as the name of a food), 7 damns, 4 asses, 1 hell and 1 use each of "G-damn," "By God," "Jesus," "Jesus Christ" and "Oh Lord" as exclamations.
In addition, the "f" word is seen in subtitles (with "ing" at the end) with various symbols in place of the first letters.

SEX/NUDITY: Various women (possibly prostitutes) with Roy show varying amounts of cleavage, and two purposefully place their room keys at his clothed crotch.
A woman shows up at Wang's hotel door and suggestively says hello to him. He then runs out into the hallway wearing just a towel and tells Roy that there's a woman in his room who wants him to sleep with her. Roy says he told the woman that the Great Wall wasn't the only thing coming out of China. Wang then says that he's not going to sleep with her for money, but Roy says that he is with the woman with him. Roy then tells Wang to think of his sister in England while he's with that woman (meaning to help her, but a double entendre). Later, Roy hurries into Wang's room to tell him they have to leave, but sees the woman rhythmically moving above Wang (what looks to be sexual turns out to be him stretching her back from below her with his feet - she's propped up above him by them).
Roy says he hears that London is "ass soup" (meaning lots of pretty girls there).
Roy complains that bouncing up and down while horseback riding means that his "salmon" aren't swimming upstream like they should and that he's "shooting blanks."
A comment is made about Roy having a passion for loose women and he corrects that by saying that they are attracted to him.
We see a drawing of a naked lady on a pack of playing cards (her hand/arm covers her breasts and the wrap around the deck covers her crotch area).
After a waiter asks Roy about some "spotted d*ck" (slang for food), Roy is insulted and thinks the man is asking if he has "the clap."
Some classic statues molded as large fireplace mantles show bare breasts. They turn out to be the mechanism to spin the fireplace around, so Wang first has his hands on them and later Lin does the same (which gets Roy all excited as she runs her hands along the female form before stopping at the breasts - he comments on it being kinky, but that he likes it).
Roy finds a copy of the Kama Sutra and later looks through it (we see one of the sexual position diagrams from a distance and thus don't see anything explicit - although Roy stares at it with a magnifying glass).
We see various women, including Lin, coming on to Roy in a suggestive fashion and showing cleavage. Lin then crawls over to him and suggestively licks his face. He asks her if she wants to try the position on page thirty-seven (of the Kama Sutra), calls her a little minx and she then makes the sound of a sheep. We then see him waking up from his dream and the sheep is licking his face. He later states that he was just violated by a farm animal.
Roy tells Lin that she has a great body and that she must work out.
We see various prostitutes (and more cleavage) in a motel/hotel. One comes up to Roy (who's now fond of Lin) and asks if he fancies a "tumble." He asks where she was two days earlier when he would have "bedded you in a second." She offers to give him a discount, but he turns her down.
Wang tells his sister about Roy's infertility problems, repeating the above lines about shooting blanks and his salmon not swimming upstream.
Roy returns to his room to find that Wang has brought all of the hookers there for them. A massive pillow fight then breaks out and by the time Lin walks in, we see that the two men are nude (they cover their crotches with the pillows so we don't see anything).

SMOKING: Roy smokes a cigar in one scene.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Wang's father says that Wang is dead to him (for moving to America). Lin then sees assassins kill her father and Wang later hears of his father's death. Not much is made of that after those scenes, however.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The cultural revisionism and playing with historical facts and figures that is on display in this film.
All of the elaborate stunts and fighting (and how imitating that could be dangerous).

VIOLENCE: Ropes fly around two guards' necks and pull them up into the air (presumably killing them). Arrows then land in the chest of two more guards (no blood), mortally wounding one. An assassin then swings his sword at the other (but we don't see the impact).
Lin's father holds a sword to a man who's trying to steal the imperial seal. A man is about to fire a crossbow into the father, but Lin kicks that out of the way. She then fights various people (with punches and kicks) who come at her with swords. One hits her quite hard, while the first man stabs the father with a large dagger (we don't see the impact or wound). Lin then fights more of the assassins, briefly rendering them incapacitated. They eventually gain control of her and one kicks her quite hard back through a large screen.
Wang gets into an adventure/comedy based fight in a revolving door where he hits or ties up various bobbies with their billy clubs.
Wang tries to avoid the attacks of various gang members (punches and hitting with various objects) after Charlie hits two of them and flees (all done for action/comedy). One pushes Wang's face down into some fruit and he then squeezes lemons into various men's eyes. He continues to block punches and one man comes at him with a knife. He then fends off men with a ladder (striking and spinning them around, etc.) while one man comes at him with a pole. He then does the same with various umbrellas and crushes a man's hand between some crates. This ends when Roy clotheslines one man to the ground.
Lin kicks Artie in the face.
A palace guard ends up hitting Roy in the crotch with his rifle after Roy tries to distract him.
Several men grab Wang and he knocks them around in another comedy action sequence. He then avoids more sword attacks using books and a library ladder to defend himself and hit them.
Lin wards off and fights with various men with swords who try to strike her.
Lin hits Rathbone as he tries to shoot the guys with his small pistol. More struggling ensues with Rathbone then locking her, Wang and Roy in a burning barn (they get out by driving an old car through the door). That car later crashes into some stone monoliths.
Wang hits himself on the head with a bottle and Roy then throws bottles at him (that Wang catches). Roy ends up falling on his back in the bar.
Jack the Ripper approaches Lin, but she easily dispatches him by kicking him over a bridge.
We see that Rathbone and his men have Wang, Roy and Lin tied up. He then orders Lin to be stretched (her feet are attached to the floor and they lift her up by her hands).
Wu Chan hits Roy on the head.
Roy and Wang find themselves tied up and hanging upside down over a body of water into which they're about to be lowered. Wang escapes and fights with various men (kicking, etc. while they try to strike him with swords, etc.) while trying to free Roy who's repeatedly dunked into the water and then back out again. He's eventually dropped all of the way in and sinks to the bottom, with Wang diving in to save him (as a machine gun is fired at them). Most of that is played for action and laughs.
Wang breaks a window with a rock to get inside a museum.
Wang fights with various villains, while Charlie throws a bottle at Roy that breaks a mirror. One of the villains eventually holds a sword to Charlie's neck to make the guys give up something valuable.
A man approaches a tied up Lin to slit her throat, but Wang sends a pulley on a rope at him that knocks him out by hitting him on the head.
Lin fights various bad guys with marital arts moves.
A bad guy opens fire on others with a machine gun (but no one is apparently hit).
Wang fights one bad guy on the floor as a machine gun spins around above them, firing away.
Lin fights with a bad guy who ends up briefly knocking her out. He and Wang then exchange many more punches and kicks, with that man then having Wang by the throat. He's about to kill him with a knife, but Lin shoots him with a firework that sends him flying up into the air where it (and presumably him along with it) explodes.
A man shoots another man in the shoulder (no blood) and then fires at Roy and Wang.
A man kicks Roy out through a large clock face on Big Ben (seemingly to his death, but he's okay).
Wang and a man get into an aggressive sword fight on a catwalk. During this, the other man slices Wang on both arms (no blood) and even holds a sword to his neck. The man, however, repeatedly gives Wang more chances to fight him.
A man cuts several ropes that send a catwalk collapsing and two men flying out through the air (one to his presumed death far below).

Reviewed January 23, 2003 / Posted February 7, 2003

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