Cinema

Far East meets Wild West in Shanghai Noon, the latest offering from chopsockey superstar Jackie Chan (right), which opens next…

Far East meets Wild West in Shanghai Noon, the latest offering from chopsockey superstar Jackie Chan (right), which opens next Friday. As the punning title implies, Chan's new movie brings oriental martial arts to the unsuspecting cowpokes of the USA, with Chan as a Chinese Imperial Guard sent to Carson City to rescue a kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu, of Ally McBeal fame).

Along the way, he teams up with happy-go-lucky outlaw Owen Wilson and the two embark on a series of harumscarum comic adventures. The gags are broad, the kicks are high and the puns painful But at least Chan knows how to orchestrate a good saloon bar brawl.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter