Search
What's Hot
Day-by-Day Fall Schedule
Idol Winner Speaks!
Jim Parsons Comes Out
Game of Thrones Star's Sex Stare

Rush Hour

1998, Movie, PG-13, 94 mins

Rush Hour: Review

RUSH HOUR
starstarstarstar
Brash, stupid and surprisingly watchable, this picture puts just the slightest spin on the 48 HRS. formula, which throws together a smart-mouthed African-American charmer and an older, by-the-book, white authority figure so they can bicker, spar and solve some crime that more conventional law-enforcement types can't crack. Now the straight man is martial-arts legend Jackie Chan, playing Hong Kong cop Inspector Lee. He's summoned to L.A. by his old pal Consul Han (Tzi Ma) to investigate the kidnapping of Han's young daughter, Soo Yung (Julia Hsu). But the FBI doesn't want Lee's help, so they press-gang arrogant LAPD screwup James Carter (Chris Tucker) into pretending to work with him while actually keeping Lee out of the way. Needless to say, neither Carter nor Lee is into this babysitting gig, and after they're done playing adolescent tricks on each other they get down to the business of finding Soo Yung. Now, the thing that made 48 HRS. such an exhilarating, unpredictable ride was that it took all its elements seriously: The crime stuff was tough and bloody, while the mismatched buddy comedy was edgy and razor-sharp. Some 15 years down the line, the formula has gotten soft: The crime story here is lazily constructed, mostly an excuse for the give-and-take between Tucker and Chan, which is shrill and raucous without being especially clever. That said, the movie skims along at a pretty decent clip -- though the climax comes about 15 minutes too late -- and gives Chan (who's concentrating very hard on his English-language lines) ample opportunity to demonstrate both his trademark skills: lightning-fast martial-arts action and graceful physical comedy. Tucker's one-note shtick is abrasive -- Carter is pompous, conceited, reckless, not so bright and a relentless hound dog -- but he and Chan occasionally spark a genuine comic rapport. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
Are You Watching?
Rush Hour
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Revenge
  2. Days of our Lives
  3. Young and the Restless
  4. Modern Family
  5. So You Think You Can Dance
more top videos