Chon Wang
For father.
Chon Lin
For father.
Roy
For Old Man Wang.
Shanghai Knights quotes
Page 1 of 2 Chon Lin
Chon Wang
I look like a fool.
Roy
What? You're a Maharajah! That's Indian royalty!
Chon Wang
But I'm Chinese.
Roy
It's the same thing.
Chon Wang
If you break her heart, I break your legs.
Roy
That's fair.
Chon Wang
It's a puzzle box. I don't know how to open it.
Roy
What do you mean, you don't know how to open it? You just get a hammer and smash it open so you can see what it says.
Chon Wang
No. I must have patience. By the time I'm able to open it, I will be ready to read the message.
Roy
Oh, come on, Confucius, that's the corniest thing I've ever heard!
Chon Wang
We are wasting time.
Roy
What do you think I've been doing? Sittin' here and drinking expensive hooch? [to Charlie] Boy, refill.
Chon Wang
Wu Chow!
Roy
Wu who?
Roy
Guys, do whatever you want to the kid, but that's my watch you're holding.
Fagin #1
Well, there's a load of us, and only two of you, so piss off!
Roy
Easy, fellas, you lost one war this way, don't make the same mistake twice.
Roy
Look at you!
Chon Wang
Look at you!
Roy
What brings you to New York?
Chon Wang
My share of the gold.
Roy
Refresh my memory. What gold are we talking about?
Roy
So what did your dad do? Was he an imperial guard?
Chong Wang
No, much more important. He was the Keeper of the Imperial Seal.
Roy
That's what I love about China. Everybody's job description sounds so damn cool!
Roy
[after Lord Rathbone has explained his plan to become King of England]
Woah, woah, you're like twentieth in line for the throne.
Rathbone
[annoyed]
Tenth. But I'll soon be taking care of that...by process of elimination.
...
Roy
[later]
I'm guessing by your hasty retreat that you're still twentieth in line for the throne.
Rathbone
TENTH!
Chon Wang
[Lin slaps Chon Wang]
I just saved you!
Chon Lin
You were late!
[One soft, fat snowflake drifts down out of the blank white heavens. It falls slowly, lazily, until it lands without a sound on the very top of the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Then another snowflake falls, and another, until there are dozens of them, huge white flakes dancing in the heavens over the smooth red-tiled roofs] [It is a winter day in 1887, and snow is blanketing the Forbidden City of China. It fells on the rooftop of the Hall of Celestial Purity, and piles up on the Pavilion of Cheerful Melodies. It covers the golden lion sculptures in the courtyard, and outlines the paths leading to each one of the Six East Palaces and the Six West Palaces]
[It grows dark, and yet the snow falls. A beautiful young woman with porcelain skin steps through a circular entrance and hurries through the courtyard of the Imperial Palace, carrying a glowing lantern of scarlet silk in one hand and a teapot in the other. The massive vermilion walls of the palace loom above her small frame as she crosses over a marble bridge, her robes sweeping the snow aside. She approaches the steps that lead to a pair of gigantic red wooden doors. A pair of Imperial Guards stiffen, but relax as they see the familiar face]
Old Man
[At the top of the stairs, another pair of guards stand watch over the doors. The young woman holds up her teapot. The guards grin and move to open the enormous doors, which creak as they yawn wide. The woman slips through the doors and clicks along the corridors until she arrives in the Dragon Pavilion] [Inside, pennants of brightly colored silk cover with images of writhing turquoise dragons drift from the ceiling. The woman tiptoes across the glassy floor and peers through a lattice screen. Her tiny gasp echoes throughout the silent room] [Behind the screen, the old man turns to her]
Chon Lin. You are not permitted to gaze at the Imperial Seal. How often must I warn you? [He is kneeling in front of a gold chest, wiping a silk cloth over the Seal as if to polish the already gleaming gold. The fist-sized diamond that crowned the Seal twinkles in the dim light. Chon Lin catches only a glimpse of its magnificence before her father whisks her the Seal back into its chest. He locks the door with the dragon key that hangs around his neck]
Chon Lin
I'm sorry, Father.
Old Man
[The old man stands up and grins at his daughter]
Come. The tea is getting cold.
Chon Lin
[Outside, in the courtyard, an Imperial Guard patrols the grounds. Suddenly, he stops in his tracks and holds himself very silent, listening hard. Then he begins to walk again, over the marble bridge and through the circular entrance. Just as he steps into the circle, a length of rope loops around his neck and whisks him off his feet] [Chon Lin and her father sit on the floor behind a folding screen, sipping their tea. Neither of them speaks. Looking across the low table between them, Chon Lin studies her father's face. Slowly, hesitatingly, she pulls something from her pocket. She clears her throat]
I received a letter from Chon Wang.
Chon Lin
[The old man looks up in surprise. The familiar name seems to hang in the air between them] [Chon Lin does not meet his eyes. Instead, she slides a photograph across the table. In soft tones of sepia, it shows a handsome Chinese men wearing the clothing of the American West. A sheriff's star shines from his chest. Next to him is a brown-and-white horse that sits in the posture of a dog] [The old man barely glances at the picture. His face is twisted with bitterness and regret]
He is doing well in America. He sends his love.
Old Man
[The old man snatches up the photo]
Your brother is dead to me, Chon Lin.
[Outside, two massive bronze lions stare at the guards at the base of the steps. All is silent. Then, with a sudden swirling noise, two arrows dart through the swirling snow. The guards fall without a sound. At the top of the steps, the guards at the door turn to see two hulking Chinese men dressed in black. Their red turbans glow through the falling snow. So does the gleaming curved blades of their swords]
Old Man
[Boxers] [Members of a secret society, also known as The Righteous and Harmonious Fists, they practice a secret, deadly form of martial arts. Their goal? A bloody rebellion that will drive all foreigners from China] [But before the guards can fight them aside, the Boxers cut them down with a flurry of fast, lethal strokes. Then a third Boxer appears from the shadows, accompanied by a tall, blond Englishman. All four storm inside the Imperial Palace, heading straight for the Chamber of the Imperial Seal] [Nelson Rathbone, dashing as always, strides confidently towards the golden chest that holds the Seal. He is half a step aside until the blade of a sword swings up, wavering, only millimeters from his neck]
Not one step further, foreign devil!
Rathbone
[Rathbone raises an eyebrow]
Ah, the Keeper of the Imperial Seal.
Rathbone
[One of the Boxers raises his crossbow, but before he can aim, it is kicked out of his hands] [Rathbone turns to Chon Lin, who has placed the kick and grins a thin, humorous grin]
A woman. You Chinese are very progressive.
[Chon Lin's father frowns] Chon Lin's Father: Chon Lin. Get help!
Rathbone
That won't be necessary. [The Boxers launch themselves at Chon Lin. She dodges their blades, landing blows of her own as she lashes out with hands and feet. As she fights the three men, Rathbone pulls a dagger from his sleeve. It is a beautiful weapon, carved in the form of a coiled dragon, with gleaming red rubies for eyes. Without a pause, he thrusts it into the old man's chest] A gift. From an old friend.
Old Man
[The old man looks surprised at first. Then he understands]
Wu Yip.
Rathbone
[Rathbone nods in agreement]
He wanted me to send his regards. [The old man slumps to the floor. Rathbone reaches for the dragon key and pulls it free from the old man's neck. Ignoring the battle yet raging behind him, he steps to the golden chest, unlocks it and lifts out the treasure he has come to steal. For a moment, as he gazes up the Seal, Nelson Rathbone's face loses its customary superior sneer]
[Behind him, one of the Boxers sweeps a sword at Chon Lin. She jumps into the air and the sword embeds itself in a column behind her. As the other Boxers rush toward her, she jumps onto the sword's blade and springboards up into a somersault high over their heads, sweeping her foot into Rathbone's face as he turns to look] [Rathbone falls backwards, smashing into the golden chest. A red line of blood appears on his cheekbone and his cold, gray eyes flash with frustration. He jumps to his feet to face a furious Chon Lin. The Boxers circle nearby, awaiting orders, but Rathbone, who hears the sound of Imperial Guards approaching, prefers to do the job himself. With a lightning-fast kick to her chest, he sends Chon Lin flying back into a screen. Rathbone grabs the Seal, motions to the Boxers, and disappears]
Chon Lin
[Chon Lin gets to her feet. She is about to run after the villains until she hears her father moan. She rushes to his side]
Father!
Chon Lin's Father: The Seal. You must get it back. Promise me!
Chon Lin
[Chon Lin's eyes fill with tears––and determination]
I promise.
[Her father gazes up at her. Then, with tremendous effort, he reaches into the pocket of his robes and pulls out a small box carved out of ivory] Chon Lin's Father: Give...give this to your brother. [With that said, his eyes close and his head falls back]
[Chon Lin closes her own eyes and says a silent prayer. Then she takes a deep breath and stands up, her shoulders squared and her head held high. She leaves the Dragon Pavilion without turning back, walking softly across the cold, smooth floor]
Roy
[why Chon should sleep with the woman for money]
Think about your sister in London.
Chon Wang
What?
Roy O'Brannon
[as it starts raining]
Oh, this country blows.
Roy O'Brannon
[in London]
Hey, I'm walking here! You're driving on the wrong side of the road! Bunch of amateurs, these people don't get it!