Overview
An unlikely duo embarks on a wild adventure across the American West, blending martial arts with comedic mischief.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- lazy weekend
- action comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a fast, entertaining martial arts western elevated by comic energy and the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chon Wang travels from the Forbidden City to Nevada and must cooperate with Roy O'Bannon across radically different social and cinematic traditions.
The film combines a kidnapped princess, frontier outlaws, Nevada landscapes, and a title that riffs on High Noon while maintaining genuine adventure momentum.
The clumsy imperial guard Chon Wang and boastful robber Roy O'Bannon repeatedly clash before joining forces against the kidnappers.
Jackie Chan's Chon Wang uses inventive physical tactics and slapstick timing throughout the rescue journey and frontier misadventures.
Films like Shanghai Noon, and why
Wild Wild West
shares a comic western setting, unlikely partners, brisk adventure pacing, and playful genre revisionism
The Mummy
shares martial arts spectacle, fish out of water humor, and an irreverent period adventure tone
Rush Hour
shares Jackie Chan-style physical comedy, cross-cultural partnership, and escalating action set pieces
Shanghai Knights
shares buddy chemistry, comic action, and a western rescue-adventure framework
Movie Details
- Director
- Tom Dey
- Release Date
- 2000-05-26
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (2870)
Cast
- Jackie Chan
- Owen Wilson
- Lucy Liu
- Xander Berkeley
- Roger Yuan
- Yu Rongguang
- Walton Goggins
- Brandon Merrill
- Jason Connery
- Adrien Dorval
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shanghai Noon about?
- A clumsy Chinese imperial guard and a swaggering Nevada outlaw become an unexpectedly capable team while chasing a kidnapped princess across the nineteenth-century American frontier.
- What is Shanghai Noon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shanghai Noon as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Shanghai Noon violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Shanghai Noon as moderate.
- What did critics think of Shanghai Noon?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a fast, entertaining martial arts western elevated by comic energy and the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.
- Which films are like Shanghai Noon?
- Films with a similar feel include Wild Wild West, The Mummy, Rush Hour, and Shanghai Knights.
- How long is Shanghai Noon?
- Shanghai Noon runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shanghai Noon?
- In United States, Shanghai Noon is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
