Long before movies like SUKYAKI WESTERN DJANGO or THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, there was Sammo Hung's SHANGHAI EXPRESS. While both of the aforementioned movies definitely have their fair share of memorable moments, SHANGHAI EXPRESS tops them both (in my own, ever humble opinion) by virtue of its sheer diversity. There are, first and foremost, the unbelievable stunts (some of which would make Jackie Chan himself green with envy, I'd wager): at one point, Yuen Biao does a roundoff off the top of a two story building (falling about THREE stories in the process), jumps up when he lands, then runs out of frame- all in a single take. Another player does a similar jump from the top of a building later in the movie- again, in a single take and, again, jumping up to run out of the shot as did Biao. Sammo himself, sporting a kind of mullet haircut, engages Biao in a spectacular if brief slugfest at a train station. Cynthia Rothrock, in a very small but memorable part, also goes toe to toe with Sammo in a particularly brutal fight scene. My favorite moment, by far, has to be Kurata's fight with Richard Norton: when Norton nails him at one point, Kurata begins a Chaplinesque, leaning-tower-of-Piza stagger around Norton, circling stubbornly and refusing to fall. If you're a Charlie Chaplin fan (and who isn't?), you'll appreciate both the homage and the sheer craziness of the scene. In fact, there are several sequences (in particular a laugh-out-loud train sequence, with one guy roped and tied running alongside the train) that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Hung mines comedy gold with SHANGHAI EXPRESS.
Review of Millionaires' Express
