It struck me as the first
American Jackie Chan movie that was really like his
Hong Kong fare: Basically a thin
plot created for the purpose of giving Chan a chance to do some cool new
stunts in a new
setting, in this case a
montage of familiar
old west settings. This included how most of the
American Indians were portrayed by obviously
white actors. (It reminded me of
Rumble in the Bronx, in which
British and
Australian expatriates in
Hong Kong were rounded up to play
New Yorkers.)
Another Chan hallmark was the fact that the actor has two love interests that seem to have no problem with infidelity...what surprised me was that this situation was actually resolved at the end, a departure from his earlier formulas.
I liked Shanghai Noon, but I think Chan is starting to show his age. A lot of the movie was devoted to dialogue and camaderie, and had me itching for more fighting action. And when Chan did fight, he seemed a little slower and more gimmick-oriented, outside of the excellent bar fight scene. Also, there is almost no arial stuntwork, aside from a long jump in the beginning, and jumping onto his horse, which even Owen Wilson's stunt double was able to do.