2003, PG-13, 115 minutes

Shanghai Knights is about as Hollywood as a movie can get, and for once I don't mean that in a bad way. Not only is it a buddy movie and a sequel, it has all of those moments we've come to expect because we've seen them before, yet welcome because they're comforting and don't pretend to be unique. It may not be a great action movie or even a great comedy, but movies like these certainly have their place and for viewers who can allow themselves to simply sit back and enjoy, at the very least it's worth the price of admission.

The reason most sequels are downright terrible is that they merely attempt to repeat everything that worked in the first film rather than coming up with something fresh. Fortunately, Shanghai Knights manages to capture what we liked about Shanghai Noon (a fun, competent piece of entertainment) and inserts it into a new story with a few new twists. Many of the elements are the same, of course, such as the never quite trusting relationship between Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan, as well as the introduction of another love interest, but the film also provides bits and pieces of history from the early 1900's - using famous figures of the period to its advantage. Some people might find these moments to be contrived, which they are, but you have to give the story credit for its creativity and the constant effort to become more than a boring rehash in which everyone involved picks up an easy paycheck.

One particularly welcome addition to this sequel is the new love interest, who also happens to be the sister of Chan's character. While Lucy Lui spent most of Shanghai Noon standing around or crying over the innocent victims surrounding her, Fann Wong is a superb fighter and cute to boot. There are a number of other improvements as well. The story keeps moving quickly from scene to scene and really almost never slows down once it gets going, although one drawback is overall there are fewer clever moments outside of some brilliantly choreographed fight sequences. I once said Jackie Chan is the greatest physical comedian since Buster Keaton, as he is able to impress us with his agility and quickness in addition to his talent for using the objects around him. Even if it is choreographed, he is so graceful he makes it appear to be spontaneous. There's one sequence that takes place early on in a hotel and it may be his best yet.

Is Shanghai Knights better than its predecessor? Yes and no, depending on what you're looking for. The dialogue isn't quite as witty this time around, although Wilson and Chan are just as charismatic as before, and with Chan's character having become accustomed to non-Eastern ways, we no longer get the joy of watching him discover and adjust to a new environment (even though this film has him going to London for the first time). That said, there are other types of humor that more than compensate for this loss, and many of the stunts are cleverly conceived.

Moviegoers who were able to appreciate the popcorn theatrics and breezy style of the first film should have no trouble enjoying Shanghai Knights, as Chan and Wilson still make a great comic duo. Compared to most sequels these days, I'd have to say it's surprisingly good, and it's also nice to see a follow-up picture actually try to improve the formula rather than simply adhere to it.