Reviews & Ratings for
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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Silly, campy, amazing stunts, just bizarre, 2 August 2000
Author: john suckling (dubnut) from Somewhere out there...

This film would sit comfortably next to A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, The Great Train Robbery, every other Jackie Chan/Sammo flick, and then some. It's not as funny as it could be (the dubbed version, that is), but aside from that I have no complaints.

There is no time to develop character traits (aside from a few cliches), but this is a slapstick so that shouldn't really be expected. If you are familiar with the slapstick-martial arts genre, or if you simply love bizarre, zany movies, then I recommend it. If you're looking for a substantial plot with lots of characterization, find something else to curl up on the couch to.

It is exactly what it proclaims to be, a madcap Kung Fu western. But I doubt if you'll ever see a man jump without safety mats from a 4-story building (on fire, I might add) in any other film. Wow.

5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Funny Eastern, 10 April 2007

Author: chrichtonsworld from Netherlands

From start till end you will be entertained! Everything what is happening concerning the Millionaire's Express is a setup for the grand finale in the last twenty minutes! Somehow Sammo Hung managed to create a western in Chinese setting! Even one character seems to be a parody of Clint Eastwood! A lot is going on in the movie,but the real action picks up at the final! This movie is more a comedy! There a lot of jokes that are easy to understand because they are very visual! One example is a man who seems to be cheating on his wife! While on the train he visits his mistress by climbing on top of the train and without any problems he walks to the wagon where his mistress is! In the meanwhile a hoodlum has a lot of difficulties maintaining his balance while he is on top of the train! When the two encounter the adulterer greets him like he is taking a stroll while the hoodlum almost falls off the train! This is just so hilarious! And this just one of the very funny scenes this movie contains! Also I recognized a parody on Wong Fei Hung (A famous Chinese hero)! All the different characters have their objectives and will be put in very funny scenes which will come to a climax in the last twenty minutes! The action is more than wonderful! Yuen Baio and Jang Lee Hwang (korean martial artist famous for being the villain in "Drunken Master") steal the show! Not to say that all the others weren't great,but Yuen Baio and Jang Lee Hwang (one of the samurai) simply stand out! As they show some excellent moves and skill! There are some small sequences with Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton but they were too short for my taste! "Millionaire's express" delivers on humor and action! One of the best movies made by Sammo Hung!

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Crazy Brilliant!, 30 December 2002

Author: JinxsterJones from UK

It's a crazy movie, but awesome all the same. It's an incredibly visual story. The first time I saw it was a Cantonese version with no subtitles, but I still followed the whole story. The humour is also very visual and very funny! However, the stand out moment, ignoring the awesome battles running through the film, has to be Yuen Biao's flip from the top of a burning building. If you watch this film for no other reason, you have to see one of the greatest stunts ever committed to celluloid. Simple yet MAD! For fight fans there's the added bonus of seeing some of the all time greats of Far East Cinema battle it out on screen! SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!

5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A very funny martial arts action movie., 19 July 1999

Author: iron monkey from USA

This movie was not only action packed but very funny. It has most of the famous Hong Kong action stars in it. If your familiar with this genre then you will recognize most of the stars like Samo Hung and more. The plot was kinda silly but the comedy and action sequences makes up for it and more. It is highly entertaining movie.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
One of the funnies films!, 23 March 2008

Author: editajan from Lithuania

The "Wealthy train" aka "Millionaire's express" looks like an action film. But strangely each and every moment that in a normal action film would have been dramatic here turns into a farce. It has all necessary elements of a classical western, only things happen in China. The fighting stuff is really well done, only instead of tension it brings another occasion to smile. It is extremely rich in characters and situations. One could say overcharged. But most of these situations are illogical: I mean, if it were true, it would never happen, at least it would not happen this way... But it doesn't matter. Do not look for any logical explanations, the film is not about that. In fact it is a parody. And a good one. People who created this film gave a free course to imagination, and the audience is invited to do the same thing. It's like a game: recognize all moments which usually are presented so seriously in many action films (and are supposed to thrill us!) and see how ridiculous they often are. "Wealthy train" is one of those films that never becomes outdated. It will be appreciated by everyone who is able not to take himself too seriously. Watch it when you want to relax, cheer yourself up and just have fun!

Genre bender..., 13 August 2011

Author: poe426 from USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

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.

1 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
I'm confused, 20 November 1999

Author: John Seal from Oakland CA

Maybe I don't know enough about HK cinema to get all the in jokes and references, or maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention, but I was thoroughly confused by this bizarre action comedy that seems to be set in an Old West town located in China. The cinematography is fine (particularly the train sequences) and the martial arts are predictably excellent. But the dubbing is atrocious (not too mention insulting) and the cast of character so vast I couldn't keep track of everyone. Sammo Hung is good, but he's used his comedic talent to much greater effect in other stuff like Wheels on Meals. Only for the HK hardcore.

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