The best thing about this movie is how bad Penn's beard is. It looks like the make-up artists shaved a rodent and stuck the hair to his face with kindergarten glue! While watching it I expected it to jump of his face at any moment on to Madonna's face like an Alien face hugger. I really wanted to like this movie. I like history, I like adventure and I like a good movie with good acting. Most of it you don't get with this movie. The acting is not great, but the biggest problem is the story and plot or lack thereof. Both are rather feeble and make for a boring watch. The good news is there are really good films out there that check all the boxes like High Road to China and Romancing the Stone.
Review of Shanghai Surprise
