Shanghai Noon

Two years ago, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan struck box-office gold with Rush Hour, where his blend of physical comedy and jaw-dropping kung fu choreography was folded into the American cop-buddy formula. It didn't hurt to have Chris Tucker's motor mouth to complement Chan's fast-firing fists. Here, in a spoof of the Western genre, Chan is saddled with the languorous, droll wit of Owen Wilson and the result is tedious.

Chan's Chon Wang is a Chinese Imperial guard sent to America to reclaim Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), who has been kidnapped by a nefarious cross-cultural clan of greedsters. Once in the Wild West, Chon Wang (mispronounced as John Wayne) teams up with Wilson's poor-shooting outlaw (who rides under the alias of Roy O'Bannon but has the given name of Wyatt Earp), and the tenuous duo go after the girl, the gold, and the glory. Unfortunately there's no comic glory to be had, just a battery of plot elements, esoteric references, and superfluous characters. The lovely Liu is wasted in a skimp of a role, the infrequently funny gags are delivered on the heels of Wilson's long-winded chews, and there aren't enough scenes showcasing the high-kicking Chan.

-- Tom Meek