Shanghai Noon

Riding high on the success of Rush Hour, Jackie Chan's latest, Shanghai Noon stays close to its plot line and its sense of humour. This time out, Jackie is an Chinese imperial guardsman named Chon Wang (which gets pronounced "John Wayne" when he hits the West), who tags along on an mission to save the Chinese Emperor's kidnapped daughter Pei Pei (Lucy Liu) who has been spirited away to the Wild West. On the trail of the kidnappers in Nevada, Wang is separated from the group and soon finds himself partnered with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a would-be train robber. From there on every Western cliché imaginable is thrown Jackie's way: comically learning how to ride a horse, smoking a herbaceous peace pipe with the "Indians," and wacky bar fights. Jackie Chan delivers on the realistic expectations one has of any of his movies ? the fight scenes are creative as usual, and happen frequently enough that you don't find yourself wondering if Jackie is getting old. Lucy Liu gets in a few kicks of her own that could come in handy back at that Boston law firm, and as the sidekick, Owen Wilson lends a certain witty but slack, Trey Parker-like quality. Jackie himself is ever-charming, never saying too much but getting more than enough punches and punch lines every few minutes.