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Before Jackie Chan brought martial-arts-in-the-Old-West comedies to the States with 2000’s Shanghai Noon, Jackie’s old pal, Hong Kong film legend Sammo Hung, created the 1986 film Shanghai Express (AKA Millionaire’s Express, or, in Cantonese, Foo Gwai Lit Che).
Shanghai Express stars Hung (who also wrote and directed the film) as Cheng, a man with a checkered past who returns to his small hometown of Hanshui to help the struggling town—and to make a little money of his own. Just before Cheng arrives, the town’s police chief robs the town’s bank, leaving the people of Hanshui with nothing. But then Cheng arrives—with a group of prostitutes in tow—and begins buying up the city. The new police chief (Biao Yuen) doesn’t trust Cheng. But, really, Cheng just wants to help—even if it means blowing up a train track, so all of the wealthy passengers on the Shanghai Express will have to spend their money in Hanshui.
According to the interviews on the DVD’s special features, Sammo Hung is so popular in Hong Kong film that when he decided to make a movie, just about every actor in Hong Kong would show up—just for the chance to be on screen. Hung himself claims that the rough cut included about 75% of the actors in Hong Kong—and that would probably explain why the film is so completely random. There are more random plotlines, in fact, than a Pirates of the Caribbean movie—and that can be totally confusing at times. There’s a group of bandits (including two Americans in Confederate uniform) heading toward the city, for some reason that I still don’t understand. There are Japanese samurais trying to smuggle an ancient relic. There are old guys and fighting kids and a guy who looks like Sherlock Holmes, who’s trying to balance his fat wife and his beautiful girlfriend. There are all kinds of cops and robbers and various characters in between. But the good guys don’t wear white hats, and the bad guys don’t wear black hats—so sometimes you’ll have no clue who’s who.
So the story may not always be easy to follow—but at least you’ll get the gist of it. What’s really important, though, is that it’s a lot of fun. There are all kinds of action scenes, featuring all kinds of fighting styles. And, in between the action scenes, it’s funny—almost cartoonish at times. Hung is a fat guy with comical facial expressions—and he’s got a knack for comedy. So if you love Jackie Chan’s martial arts comedies, you’ll want to check out Shanghai Express, too. And don’t worry if you’re not into the whole Foreign Film Experience. The entire thing is dubbed (quite humorously, I must add) in English.
While you’re at it, be sure to check out some of the DVD’s special features. The first deleted scene—a long brothel scene, in which Cheng gives a lengthy monologue on the virtues of prostitutes—is hilarious. You’ll also find rather long (but often interesting) interviews with Hung, Yuen, and Cynthia Rothrock, and a commentary (in English) with Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan.
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