Shanghai Knights

The two characters from Shanghai Noon (Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson) are transplanted to Victorian London for a change of scenery, and that’s the full extent of inspiration in this rambling sequel. With all its name-dropping and in-jokes, the film resembles one of the old Bob Hope-Bing Crosby Road pictures, but without that series’ occasionally inspired vaudeville surrealism and seemingly ad-libbed banter. Wilson and Chan are comfortable together (and Chan’s English gets better with every film), but writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and director David Dobkin settle on a rigid division of labor: Wilson gets the wisecracks while Chan handles the martial arts/slapstick fights. Chan deploys his exuberant, irresistible charm, and his fans will be satisfied. Then again, the video will look just as good.