In the 2003 sequel to Shanghai Noon directed by David Dobkin, Shanghai Knights, Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) travel to Victorian London to foil a plot against the Queen. Also starring Singaporean actress Fann Wong
as Chon Wang's sister, Chon Lin.
In the 1880's, Chon Wang's father and keeper of the Imperial Seal has been murdered by Parliament and royal family member Lord Rathbone, who steals the Imperial Seal, with Chon Wang's sister, Chon Lin, witnessing the murder. Lin follows Rathbone to London to kill him, while sending Wang a letter telling him of the murder. Wang then travels to New York for Roy O'Bannon. Together they travel to England and meet up with Lin to defeat Rathbone and get the Imperial Seal back.
Tropes:
- The Artful Dodger: Wang and Roy befriend a streetsmart urchin. He later reveals that his name is Charlie Chaplin.
- Artistic License – History: There's a good number of anachronisms in the many Historical In-Joke gags in the film, from Jack The Ripper's appearance (and death) a few months before he emerged historically to Chaplin showing up as a kid before he was born and Arthur Conan Doyle being portrayed as a cockney police inspector (he was scottish and a physician).
- Big Brother Instinct: Wang is very protective towards his little sister Lin.
- British Royal Guards: Roy, after failing to provoke a reaction from a guard, gives the guard a friendly pat on the shoulder, and receives a Groin Attack with the butt of the guard's rifle in return.
- Combat Pragmatist: Usually utilised by the bad guys while Chon Wang is all about fighting honorably, however in this sequel, after he realises he can't defeat Rathbone in a swordfight, Wang cuts the rope supports on the platform they're both standing on, throwng him out the window.
- Clock Tower: The film has its climax in Big Ben. Rathbone is tossed out of it, and Wang and O'Bannon must go the same way. But they have a flag to slow their descent.
- Description Cut: In the beginning of the film, Chon Wang insists that Roy has changed. Cue the next scene, which shows Roy being the same old Handsome Lech and surrounded by women.
- Disney Villain Death: Wang cuts the supports and sends Rathbone flying out the clock tower face. Rathbone falls to his death and even gets a Wile E. Coyote puff of smoke when he hits the ground. Subverted immediately after when Wang and Roy fall off the clock tower as well, but survive after grabbing the flag and landing in the Queen's carriage.
- Dope Slap: Lin slaps Wang upside.Wang: [confused] But I just saved you.
Lin: [mad] You were late! - Evil Brit: Lord Rathbone is a Brit noble who murders and steals from China.
- Groin Attack: Roy taunts a royal guard who stands there as expected, until he leaves off by reaching over physically brushing him on the way out, ends with a rifle butt to the groin. ("You're not allowed to do that!")
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the climax, rather than allow Rathbone to defeat him and go on to kill again with his father's (and Roy's as far as he knew) death's go unavenged, Chon attempts to sacrifice himself by launching both of them off of Big Ben. Luckily, Roy is alive so Chon has a friend to save him - while Rathbone, who has nobody, dies from the fall.
- I Have No Son!: At the start of the movie, Wang's father has disowned him for abandoning the family for America. Wang does not take this very well when Lin informs him of this, especially since his father said it shortly before he was murdered by Rathbone. However, Wang is given a puzzle box containing a message from his father that he was indeed proud of him.
- If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: While being captured by Rathbone, after initially objecting to the idea of a relationship between his sister Lin and Roy, Wang accepts it, but adds, "if you break her heart, I break your legs," to which Roy replies, "That's fair."
- In the Past, Everyone Will Be Famous:The main characters create the personas of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, freely give the idea to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and take on a young Charlie Chaplin as a sidekick. Oh, and Roy O'Bannon's real name is Wyatt Earp. The Rule of Funny applies in spades: Doyle is inaccurately depicted as a policeman, and the film is set two years before Chaplin was even born.
- It Will Never Catch On: O'Bannon dismisses Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories as ridiculous and is glad he invested his money in zeppelins instead of that new-fangled "automobile". He finally strikes gold with motion pictures.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Played with since Wang isn't a Jerkass. Roy asks Wang to speak to Lin and put in a good word with her. Instead, Wang tells Lin of Roy's bad habits, including drinking, smoking, gambling, womanizing and tendency to lie. While this is undoubtedly stabbing Roy in the back, Wang does have a point. Despite being friends, Roy has often lied to Wang and has indulged in habits that make him unsuitable for marriage. What can lead this trope to be played straight is that Roy is genuinely in love with Lin.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Lord Rathbone spends most of the film running his schemes and fleeing from direct conflict, but when the climax rolls around and he's cornered, Rathbone proceeds to show why he's "the best swordsman in England".
- Line-of-Sight Alias: Roy comes up with the pseudonym "Sherlock Holmes" in this manner. No, not from seeing anything written by Arthur Conan Doyle: In fact, he's the one who inspires Sir Arthur to use that name. He notices the manufacturer's nameplate on the Grandfather Clock reading, "Sherlock Watchmakers Holmes County Ireland". He's put on the guest list as "Sherlock Holmes." Doyle was also in attendance, and asks Roy if he can use that name once things clear up.
- Master Swordsman: Lord Rathbone is said to be the best swordsman in England. At first this seems like it might be just an idle aristocratic boast but in the climax we see that he lives up to that description.
- Mickey Mousing: Part of the market fight scene is choreographed to "Singin' in the Rain", an homage to one of Jackie Chan's favorite scenes in film.
- No Name Given: Chon Wang's Clueless Deputy from the beginning of the sequel is unnamed.
- Parasol of Pain: Wang has a memorable umbrella fight, complete with a Homage to Singin' in the Rain. Directly in front of Charlie Chaplin. Can you read the subtext?
- Politically Correct History: With the sole exception of Wang, nobody ever seems surprised to see the white Roy showing romantic interest in the East Asian Lin. In the 1880s in London, interracial marriage was explicitly seen as horrific, and the effects of British colonialism are largely unaddressed in the film, and is actually used for comedy at one point.
- Prison Escape Artist: Lin nearly escapes from jail by using her pills to make it look like she's asleep under her bedsheets, then drops down from the ceiling to attack whoever comes in. This only fails because her brother and Roy are the visitors and she stops to talk to them. Later, she successfully escapes (albeit offscreen) by picking the lock to her cell with a deck of playing cards and climbing down the wall using a mop, fork, and her undergarments.
- Ruling Family Massacre: This is Lord Rathbone's plan: in exchange for giving Wu Chow the Imperial Seal of China, Chow will kill the nine members of the British Royal Family ahead of him in the line of succession and then frame Wang's sister Lin for the deed.
- Running Gag: Characters always fail to remember Rathbone's position in the line of succession, causing somebody else Rathbone to sigh and deadpan "Tenth." in correction.
- Sequel Goes Foreign: Shanghai Knights shifts the setting from the first film's Wild West to London.
- Sherlock Scan: Inspector Arthur Conan "Artie" Doyle claims to have invented inductive reasoning. He gives an uncanny description of Roy just by looking at his watch, and later identifies where Charlie Chaplin is hiding from the wax in his hat.
- Sherlock Homage: While Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon are waiting in front of Arthur Conan Doyle's door, they are dressed in similar clothing as Holmes and Watson. As Doyle sees their silhouettes he is stunned.
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: In the sequel, the street urchin who steals Roy's watch returns it, partially out of kindness (after seeing how much it meant to Roy), but mainly because a pawnbroker told him it was a worthless knockoff.
- Shout-Out:
- Wang and Roy jump from Big Ben, ripping the middle of the Union Jack hanging on the tower to slow their descent, like how in Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond and Wai Lin jump from Elliot Carver's building, slowing their descent by ripping the middle of a wall photo of Carver. Wai Lin was played by Jackie Chan's friend and Supercop costar Michelle Yeoh.
- The fight in the mansion where Wang forces the mooks to protect Rathbone's Priceless Ming Vase is a shoutout to Rush Hour, only with the roles reversed.
- Stock Clock Hand Hang: The heroes find themselves in Victorian London. While Wang fights inside the Great Clock of the Palace of Westminster, Roy spends the time crawling on the giant hand of the tower clock. Wang and his opponent fall off the window. Roy manages to catch Wang's hand and they both hang for their lives.
- Taking You with Me: At the climax, Chon Wang is clearly outmatched by Lord Rathbone, so he cuts the ropes supporting the platform they are both standing on and sends both of them through the glass face of Big Ben. Wang is caught by Roy, who was knocked through the same glass a little earlier.
- Token Good Cop: The London constabulary refuses to believe Lord Rathbone is evil and deter the protagonists at several points, but Inspector Doyle, while a bit too trusting, is quite friendly with Chon and Roy, helps them when he can, and has some useful Sherlock Scan tendencies.
- Unexpected Successor: The movie has a noble who is way, way far down the line of succession hatch a conspiracy to kill everybody ahead of him so he can ascend to the British throne.
- Unwilling Suspension: Wang and Roy are left hanging from the clock face of Big Ben in the finale.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: They hadn't yet begun a relationship at that point, but when Lin beats up Rathbone's goons, Roy likes her even more.Roy: [with a big smile on his face] She's going to fight my battles for me.
- Who Would Want to Watch Us?: Roy tries to sell Jackie Chan's character, a Chinese cowboy named Chon Wang (say it out loud and see who it sounds like) on the idea of the then-new "moving pictures", even going so far as to suggest "You could do your own stunts." In an aversion, Wang nods and replies:Chon Wang, movie star? It could work.
