Film

Shanghai Knights

Name: Shanghai Knights
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Western
Released: 2003
Cast: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Fann Wong, Aidan Gillen, Donnie Yen

Action

A goofy East-meets-West action comedy where Jackie Chan's righteous Chinese cop and Owen Wilson's wisecracking cowboy travel to Victorian London to catch a killer. It's silly, athletic, and deeply committed to finding humour in fish-out-of-water collisions. For anyone who wants to watch Jackie Chan do impossible things while a charming idiot yells jokes at him.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you fancy a buddy comedy where the stunt work and the easy rapport between two mismatched leads carry a fairly silly plot, and you like your Westerns played for laughs.

Skip it if the gags thin out in the middle, and the move to London trades the frontier charm of its predecessor for something more generic and cluttered.

What it asks of you: Nearly two hours of constant motion, with chases, fights and quips arriving so frequently that you can coast, asking only a willingness to be entertained.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Rush Hour1998

The template that makes Shanghai Knights work: Chan's physical precision and quiet competence sparring against Chris Tucker's unstoppable mouth. Proof that this pairing of styles—disciplined vs. unhinged—is genuinely funny.

But Tucker's character is played at such volume that if you find him grating, there's no escape. The comedy hasn't aged as well as the action has.

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan's masterpiece and the reason Shanghai Knights even exists. Jaw-dropping stunts, real innovation, genuine danger. You'll understand why he matters and why comedians want to riff around him.

But Subtitled, made in 1985, takes itself seriously. If you want silly, this is the opposite. It's art, not entertainment in this mode.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows2011

Another period action-comedy that wants to be smart and fun at once. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have real chemistry, and Guy Ritchie's visual wit keeps it moving. Similar headspace as Shanghai Knights.

But Tries harder to be clever than to be silly, which can feel exhausting. Some of the period detail bogs the pace down.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Shanghai Knights

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Mask of Zorro1998

Both are period action comedies that use physical humour and genuine stunts as their engine. Both feature a reluctant partnership between very different men (here, mentor and student). Both commit to the idea that action choreography is a form of comedy.

Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones: period action-comedy with genuine romantic heat, sword work that sings, and a hero who's also a performer. It understands that action can be elegant and funny at the same time.

But It's considerably more romantic than Shanghai Knights and takes its emotional stakes seriously. If you want pure goofiness, this has sincerity underneath.

The One2001

Jet Li in a multiverse action film that's visually inventive and absurd in all the right ways. The stunts are incredible, and it wears its ridiculousness proudly without winking.

But The plot barely holds together and the emotional stakes are nonexistent. If story matters more than spectacle, this is a hard slog.

Around the World in 80 Days2004

Another globe-trotting action-comedy caper with practical stunts and an ensemble cast having obvious fun. Jackie Chan's in it. The DNA is similar: adventure, humour, constant motion.

But It's so overstuffed with cameos and plot it loses momentum. Feels like a theme-park ride that forgot to have a story.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Stephen Chow's masterpiece: a kung fu comedy that's both hilarious and genuinely thrilling. Proof that action and humour don't just coexist—they amplify each other when done right.

But The tone shifts wildly and some of the jokes are culturally specific. If you want consistency, this will feel scattered.

The Forbidden Kingdom2008

Jackie Chan and Jet Li together, finally. A young American travels to magical China. Silly, earnest, buoyed by nostalgia and the simple joy of watching two masters work.

But The frame story with the American kid is genuinely dull. You're waiting for the Asian actors to take over, and it takes forever.

The Great Outdoors1988

John Candy and Dan Aykroyd on a camping trip. Dumb comedy that never overreaches and trusts that likeable people doing ridiculous things is enough. Lower stakes, pure fun.

But It's very 1980s and very broad. If you need subtlety or a plot engine, this coasts on charm alone and might feel thin.

The Incredible Kung Fu Master1979

This is where the East-meets-West action-comedy template begins. Shanghai Knights is a direct descendant—same DNA, much bigger budget. Watching this explains why the formula works and what Jackie Chan inherited.

A Chinese action-comedy from the era that invented the form: scrappy, inventive, packed with genuine stunts and an elastic tone that swings between tragedy and slapstick. Ancestral DNA to everything Jackie Chan does.

But The print quality is rough, the pacing is choppy, and the emotional register can whiplash. It's a historical artifact first, entertainment second.

The Man with Two Brains1983

Both films use their leading man's physical comedy and genuine warmth as the emotional anchor for stories that are fundamentally silly. Both trust their audience enough to play it straight even when the plot is nonsense.

Steve Martin in a period-adjacent sci-fi comedy that's ridiculous, sweet, and genuinely weird. It understands that comedy and action work together when you commit fully to the absurdity instead of winking at it.

But It's from 1983 and wears that specific comedic sensibility hard. If you need contemporary pacing or recognizable references, it'll feel slow and alien.