The characters and the situation look awfully familiar. Two outlaws, trapped inside an abandoned building, decide that the only way out is through the front door, fighting. They argue a little, make amends, and then come out shooting. If you’re thinking “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid,” think again.

It’s actually a scene at the end of “Shanghai Noon,” a frisky comedy western starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. The similarity between the finale of George Roy Hill’s 1969 masterpiece and “Shanghai Noon” is not coincidental.

It’s an homage, an affectionate tribute to all that came before it. If “Shanghai Noon” wasn’t a comedy, it would have been a rip-off. Here, it’s an in-joke, one of many in a film that more than serves its purpose as broad summer entertainment.

The western is such a venerable, sturdy genre that it can withstand almost any angle thrown at it. The western has been rustled up as science-fiction (“Star Wars,” “Oblivion”), horror (“From Dusk Till Dawn 3”), and musical (“Annie Get Your Gun”), but its most durable mutation has been the comedy.

The western is ripe for parody, and “Shanghai Noon” writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar pick from the best. Their breezy screenplay is filled with numerous visual and verbal references from other films. Those with a sharp eye and ear will connect the dots with no problem. The rest of the audience will have to be satisfied with the film’s cheerful performances and exciting action.

While not nearly as raucous as Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” “Shanghai Noon” delivers a good time. It’s hard to resist Chan and Wilson, who are just as enjoyable together as Chan and Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour.” In many ways, “Shanghai Noon” is a much better Jackie Chan film than “Rush Hour,” another East meets West comedy.

The West is a perfect setting for Chan and his high kicking martial arts. Even at his most flamboyant, Chan never seems out of place on the dusty trail. Whether he’s using moose antlers as a weapon during a bar fight or the belfry of a church, Chan makes the West his own. His limited English actually benefits his character Chon Wang (say it fast for one of the film’s funnier lines), a member of the Chinese Imperial Guard sent to Carson City to rescue a kidnaped princess.

Well, he’s not really a guard, but more of a valet, sent along to carry the baggage of the real guards. The plot mechanics are very traditional. It will come as no surprise that Wang will find himself separated from the guards, forced to become the hero. Of course all western heroes need a sidekick, and Wang gets a dandy one in Roy O’Bannon (Wilson).

It’s a wonderful riff from Wilson, whose bent nose and Robert Redford “Sundance Kid” looks add to his charm. O’Bannon is one of those good bad guys, a robber who never steals from women, and would rather shoot off his mouth rather than gun. Wilson, so chilling in last year’s “The Minus Man,” is the perfect counterweight to Chan’s Wang. Together, they never miss a beat.

The plot allows director Dey, making his debut, an excellent opportunity to shoot a real western, one filled with shoot outs, cattle stampedes, chases and gorgeous scenery. Without this authenticity, the comedy would fall flat. The reason all of this is funny is because Dey follows the golden rule: He made a western that’s funny instead of a comedy that’s a western. There’s a big difference (“Lust in the Dust” comes to mind).

If you buy the premise, then you’ll buy whatever else they throw at you. This makes it easy to buy into all of the homages, because they’re surrounded by a strong foundation. So when a fight takes the participants up a church belfry (“Vertigo”), or Wang’s horse gets drunk on a bottle of whiskey (“Cat Ballou”), you smile and appreciate the effort rather than feel ripped off.

“Shanghai Noon” benefits immensely from a strong supporting cast, including Lucy Liu as the kidnaped but not so defenseless princess, and Xander Berekley as Marshall Nathan Van Cleef (yet another homage, this one to western actor Lee Van Cleef).

Shot in Canada (standing in for Nevada), “Shanghai Noon” looks sensational, thanks to Dan Mindel’s jaw dropping cinematography. The film has the look and feel of any number of classic westerns. Randy Edelman’s musical score respects the work of Elmer Bernstein and Dimitri Tiomkin, creating stirring suites that are as bold and exciting as the images on the screen.

Each generation deserves their own comedy western. My parents laughed at Bob Hope in “Son of Paleface,” while the sixties gave us “Cat Ballou” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Mel Brooks broke bread with the genre with 1973’s “Blazing Saddles,” while the eighties roped in “Rustlers Rhapsody.”

It hasn’t been since 1994’s “Maverick” that the genre has been this much fun. “Shanghai Noon” writers Gough and Millar borrow liberally from the Mel Gibson-Jodie Foster film, including a bathtub scene between Wang and O’Bannon that gets totally out of hand, and Indians who are smarter than their white (and in this case, Asian) counterparts.

You might have seen it all before, yet “Shanghai Noon” is so slickly packaged and delivered with such comic conviction by director Dey and the cast, you can’t deny its appeal. You know you’re not supposed to take any of this seriously the moment you hear Z.Z. Top’s “La Grange” pour out of the speakers. Saddle up for a good time. You won’t be disappointed.

COMPLETE CHECK-UP

VISION: 20/20

2.35:1 Widescreen

4:3 Pan & Scan

16:9 Enhanced

Beautifully rendered widescreen presentation, delivered in the film’s original 2.35:1 format. The colors are alive and vibrant, with excellent attention to details and depth of field. Flesh tones look realistic, while Earth tones are perfect. Saturation is also sharp, with no bleeding or fading. Blacks are superior, while whites and grays benefit from a pristine negative. No visible artifacts. Depth of field is very impressive considering the wide open spaces, and low lit shots hold extremely well.

HEARING: Good

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround English

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround French

Playful but not very showy 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround soundtrack. The music is the highlight here, and it pours from all speakers with assurance. Basses are limited, but middle and high ends get a workout on your system, and all check out okay. Stereo split, both front left-to-right and front-to-back are well defined. There’s lots of action in the rear speakers, while surround effects are best represented during the film’s action scenes. Dialogue mix is clean and strong. No hiss or distortion.

ORAL: Good

Closed Captions in English for the Hard of Hearing

COORDINATION: Excellent

Audio Commentary with director Tom Dey and stars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. Dey provides the on- going commentary, dishing up the usual background stuff, while stars Chan and Wilson’s comments seem to have been dropped in to flesh out the commentary. It’s cohesive, but not nearly as riveting.

Several featurettes that pad out the disc 25 minutes or so, including “Making an Eastern Western,” “The Shanghai Kid” and “Western Stunts, Eastern Style.” Lots of background info and interviews, plus Chan’s contribution to the filmmaking process. There are also some hilarious outtakes that are common for Chan features.

An exciting stunt montage entitled “Action Overboard”

A collection of deleted scenes, along with commentary from the director and co-star Wilson. The collection includes seven scenes that don’t add a lot to the overall plot, but do go a long way in defining the relationship between the two leads.

Still Gallery

Music video by Uncle Cracker

Theatrical Trailers

Shanghai Surprise, two games that lead you to more surprises.

Handsome main and scene access menus.

PROGNOSIS: Excellent

Saddle up for one fun-ride.

VITALS:

$29.99/Rated PG-13/106 Minutes/Color/Keepcase

ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen

PATIENT: SHANGHAI NOON

BIRTH DATE: 2000

HMO: Touchstone Home Video

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 15th, 2005 at 3:10 am and is filed under Film Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.