5/21/00: "Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - unknown.

I love kung-fu movies. Good and bad ones entertain me. The incredible skills these people possess, mixed with the tricks of film, create some really amazing moments. Of course the best martial arts films are not created here in America. Example; Iron Monkey my favorite kung-fu movie. It stars no one you've ever heard of, but it's directed by Woo-ping Yuen, the guy who did the fight choreography for The Matrix. The makers of these films are finding their way to America.

Jackie Chan was the first of this wave of Hong Kong film-makers to come over. His films that have been released here, have been edited, dubbed, and renamed. However, they are still a lot of fun, my favorite of the bunch being Rumble in the Bronx. Chan, while being an outstanding martial artist and stunt-man, just has a great film presence. He is a great physical comedian, and can make you laugh just as well as he can amaze you. Rush Hour his first American film since an unsuccessful run in the 80's, was a huge hit. It's kind of sad that this film made him a star here. A rehash of all the odd-couple cop partner films, it contains Chan's worst kung-fu performance.

Let's take a sneak peak inside the minds of the Shanghai Noon producers. "We've got Jackie Chan to make a film for us. What can we do? Let's re-make Rush Hour. But it can't be too obvious. How about this time it's in the old west. It's too bad Chris Tucker demands $20 million a film now. I know, Owen Wilson! He's got a quick tongue, he can play the Mouth to Jackie's karate. Damn we're smart, this will obviously be a huge hit with the kids."

A funny thing happens though. This film is actually pretty damn enjoyable. One smart thing that they did for this film, is that Jackie actually fights in it. There are plenty of fight scenes throughout the film to make you drool with pleasure. (Well if you enjoy fight scenes.) Maybe it's just me, but I also found Owen Wilson to be a lot funnier than Tucker. Wilson basically plays the same guy he's been playing in every single movie since Bottle Rocket. He's good at it, and it plays well against Chan's straight man.

A little story summary for you. Chan is a royal guard in the Chinese army. The Princess played by Lucy Liu, (Are there any other Asian actresses working in Hollywood?) is kidnaped and brought to the new country America. Jackie and a few others are sent to get her back. Meanwhile, Wilson is a train robber and trying to build a reputation as a bad guy. Their paths cross and the wackiness ensues.