Walton Gogginsand Jackie Chan might seem like an unlikely duo, but the two teamed up in a largelyforgotten action comedy. With Goggins gaining recent recognition forThe White Lotusand Chan standing as one of themost acclaimed martial arts stars of all time, their brief collaboration is a surprise cinematic footnote that many fans have overlooked.
Despite coming from two corners of the screen world, bothGoggins and Chan are hilarious comedians, so it makes sense that they both excelled in a hidden gem comedy that blendedWestern movie tropeswith kung fu carnage. Their dynamic may have been short-lived, but it was impressive enough to make us wish they shared the screen more.
Shanghai Noon Stars Both Walton Goggins & Jackie Chan
Goggins Played The Outlaw Wallace And Chan Was The Imperial Guard Chon Wang
Both Walton Goggins and Jackie Chan appeared together inShanghai Noon, a genre-bending Western mashup that combined Old West thrills with kung fu chaos. At its core, this hilarious Western was a buddy adventure between Chan and his co-star Owen Wilson, yet this was elevated by Goggins’s exceptional performance as the villainous outlaw Wallace.
The titleShanghai Noonis a play on the classic 1952 WesternHigh Noon.
Wallace was a Wild West outlaw who was initially part of Roy O’Bannon’s (Wilson) train-robbing gang before he betrayed his leader and left him buried up to his neck in the desert. Chan’s character came from a completely different world, as he played the Chinese imperial guard Chon Wang, a homophone for John Wayne, who unexpectedly finds himself in Nevada.
With Wang on the search for the missing Princess Pei-Pei (Lucy Liu), he must team up with Roy to find the girl, overcome Wallace, and learn the ways of the American Old West. Boasting an incredible cast of talented comedians,Shanghai Noonblends slapstick comedy and epic martial arts fights in a way that brings to mind Chan’s best work.
Goggins had a small but memorable role inShanghai Noon, as his character not only betrayed Roy but also killed Wang’s uncle in an epic shootout. This gave both characters a reason to take him down and added emotional stakes to this over-the-top, Wild West adventure.
The Shanghai Noon Sequel Could’ve Used Walton Goggins
Goggins Didn’t Reprise His Role In Shanghai Knights
Shanghai Noonwas a moderate hit at the box office back in 2000, and it received positive reviews from critics, with Chan and Wilson even returning for the sequel,Shanghai Knights.This 2003 sequel maintained the excellent chemistry between Chan and Wilsonand even added new stars like Donnie Yen to the cast. However, Goggins sadly didn’t return.
The absence of Goggins' character was felt inShanghai Knights.
The absence of Goggins' character was felt inShanghai Knights, as Wallace’s gritty and grounded characterization added a sense of maturity to the original movie. While the follow-up delivered bigger set pieces and more intense stunt work, Goggins' unique energy was the missing ingredient that it truly needed.
A third movie in theShanghaiseries, titledShanghai Dawn, was announced back in 2015 (viaComing Soon); however, this never got off the ground. If this long-gestating third installment ever did get revived, bringing Goggins back to reprise his role would be a no-brainer, especially considering how much more acclaimed he’s become over the past two decades.
