The Pendulum
A & E
Thursday, February 13, 2003 •Page 17
Predictable ‘Knights’ scores at box office
Touchstone Pictures / KRT Campus
Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson pair up in “Shanghai Knights,” where they try to stop an evil British lord from making China a British
colony The action takes place in London, and the film is the sequel to 2000's “Shanghai Noon."
mainstream films, is just the right blend of
cunning and evil to make the villain slight-
Andi Petrini
A&E Editor
Jackie Chan and Ow'en Wilson move
from the Wild, Wild West to Victorian
London to retrieve the imperial seal of
China in the 1880s in the No. 2 movie at the
box office this weekend, “Shanghai
Knights.”
In the sequel to the 2000 flick “Shanghai
Noon,” the daring duo team up against mul
tiple bad guys armed with little more than
Chan’s stunt work and Wilson’s quick
tongue. “Knights” pulled in $19.8 million
at the box office in its opening weekend.
The movie begins with the murder of
Chon Wang’s (Chan) father, as a British
Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen) steals the
imperial seal to use in a treacherous plot to
become king of England and make China a
British colony. Chan’s sister Chon Linn
(Fann Wong) follows Rathbone to London
to avenge her father’s death.
Chan leaves his post as sheriff of Carson
City, Nev., to aid his sister in killing
Rathbone. He recruits his tall-tale-telling
friend Roy O’Bannon (Wilson) to accom
pany him to London, where Linn is sitting
in jail, having been arrested for attempted
murder.
What follows is a string of Chan stunts
that lead to a predictable ending.
O’Bannon falls in love with Linn, much to
the disappointment of Wong, affectionately
nicknamed John Wayne by O’Bannon.
Two action sequences will stand out to
audiences. The first is 10 minutes into the
movie, when Chan fights five police offi
cers in a revolving door. The second comes
during the climax, where Chan and Wilson
take on Gillen inside Big Ben.
Of course, no Chan movie is complete
without a reel of outtakes before the credits
roll, and “Knights” is no different.
While “Shanghai Noon” was the nght
combination of comedy and action,
“Knights” falls comedically short. The
opening murder scene of Chan’s father
sheds a depressing light on the film, and
many of the jokes and Wilson’s one-liners
are lost on audiences still recovering from
witnessing the grisly murder.
The saving comedic grace of “Knights”
is the play on characters in film and litera
ture that, during the time period of the
movie, do not exist.
For example, Wilson’s nickname for
Chan is John Wayne. A kid (Aaron
Johnson) that helps the pair on their
escapades is Charlie Chaplin, and inspector
Arthur Conan Doyle (Tom Fisher) believes
he is more of writer than a sleuth, and sets
out to write tales about Sherlock Holmes.
Chan’s performance is on par with any
other action-comedy duet he has starred in,
with the exception of “The Tuxedo.”
Wilson resumes his role as the lying
sidekick with the same wit as in “Noon.”
The most refreshing performance is by
Fann Wong. While the movie takes place
in 1887 when women are not equals,
Wong’s character is just as good of a mar
tial artist as Chan.
Gillen, who has not been seen in many
ly flawed.
Director David Dobkin gave “Knights”
a novel turned movie appearance, as the
sets look contrived on a studio back lot.
The camera work manages to capture the
fight sequences so the viewer doesn’t get
lost in the action.
Rating: “Shanghai Knights” makes a
better rental than theater experience.
Contact Andi Petrini at
pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
‘Chicago’ loads in Academy Award nominations witli 13 bids
The nominees for the 75th Academy
Awards were announced Tuesday morn
ing, and the anticipation to the broadcast
on March 23 mounts.
“Chicago” received 13 nominations.
including best picture.
Martin Scorcese’s
f M>w York” recieved 10 nomi-
“Gangs of New YorK
followrf by “The Hours wh,ch
recieved nine nods. , , f
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for their roles in “Chicago.” John C. Reilly
received a nomination for best supporting
actor. Left off the list was “Chicago” star
Richard Gere, who learned to tap dance for
the role as lawyer Billy Flynn.
Another major contender in most Oscar
categories was “The Hours,” an adaptation
of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-
winning novel. Nicole Kidman was nomi
nated for best actress and Julianne Moore
was nominated for best supporting actress.
“The Hours” and “Chicago” were both
nominated for best adapted screenplay.
Best Picture
Chicago
Gangs of New York
The Hours
Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
The Pianist
Actor
Adrien Brody
Nicolas Cage
Michael Caine
Daniel Day-Lewis
Jack Nicholson
Actress
Salma Hayek
Nicole Kidman
' Diane Lane
Julianne Moore
Renee Zellweger
Supporting Actor
Chris Cooper
Ed Harris
Paul Newman
John C. Reilly
Christopher Walken
Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates
Julianne Moore
Queen Latifah
Meryl Streep
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Director
Ron Marshall
Martin Scorsese
Stephen Daldry
Roman Polanski
Pedro Almodovar