Rush Hour

The Chinese Consul's daughter is kidnapped and the FBI steps in to investigate the case. The Consul doesn't trust them however, so he calls in an old friend and police inspector from Hong Kong to aid in the rescue of his daughter. Not wanting to work with outsiders, the FBI pairs him with a cocky, loudmouthed L.A. street cop who dreams of becoming a federal agent but doesn't work well with partners. The formula is tired and predictable, but it's redeemed to a surprising extent by the effective pairing of Chan and Tucker who are an ideal action-comedy duo. Lots of gimmicky action scenes and big time laughs, with the added bonus of a script that doesn't require a lot of thinking. ***

I love a good buddy-cop flick and it'd been quite some time since I'd seen one, so when I saw this floating around on Hulu I knew I needed to rectify passing on it for so many years. Chan and Tucker make for a great pair, and while the story here is pretty generic, it's their chemistry that keeps you glued. Come for the jokes and fun action sequences, not the story.

This movie is pure comedy from the beginning to the end. You will have a good laugh thanks to Chris Tucker in his role of Carter, a clumsy LA cop. The city of Los Angeles is spectacular and is a great scenario for this entertaining movie. Jackie Chan at its best kicking asses everywhere with an outstanding humble attitude. I think Americans love Jackie Chan because he's so nice and great person.

The main reason why I like this movie is the wonderful duo they play, constantly arguing, while walking around exciting California, USA, about everything, but in the meantime they are loyal partners. The great diversity there is in America singles out in a city like Los Angeles when we go through Chinatown. And fortunately, the movie brings us out there. Interesting cultures melt into a huge variety of ethnicities that make anything possible to happen. This is why America is so interesting and wonderful and we from abroad love her as a beautiful land.

All in all, this is a worth-seeing Hollywood movie and probably you would like to watch it several times!

Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) is a wisecracking, plays by his own rules type policeman who gets a little bit carried away with his job. When a drug bust goes haywire and two cops caught in the crossfire are shot, the LAPD Supervisor knows it's all Carter's fault! Not looking very highly towards Carter, the LAPD Supervisor gives him two options: Either be suspended without his badge for two months, or help the FBI chase after a gang of ruthless criminals who have kidnapped a Chinese Diplomat's daughter (Julie Hsu). The choices for this egotistic, self-centered cop will not be simple...

Enter Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan), a police officer who wrote the book on fighting crime. Back in LA, Carter immediately gets his feet wet before shortly experiencing a chagrin moment. Detective Carter has learned that his assignment is to baby-sit Inspector Lee. Carter must make sure that Lee does not interfere with the FBI's business. Carter is not happy with the workload he is responsible for, but he must fulfill his duty nonetheless...

Carter usually works alone...this time, he has company. Reluctantly, the Lee and Carter align together and a culture clash becomes obvious. The wonderful pair is drawn to a series of mishaps, conspiracies, and plenty of high kicking action and adventure! Carter shows Lee a tour or two around the city of Los Angeles; and the pair quickly become best buddies. However, Lee and Carter can't help but to interfere with the FBI's affairs. Lee cares only so much about the kidnapped child. He feels that he must help track her down before the nefarious villains murder her... Meanwhile, Carter ticks off a few of the locals before he faces absolute terror. Can Lee convince Carter to focus on this mission to rescue the Diplomat's daughter held for ransom? Or will it be too late?

RUSH HOUR is one of the most jamming action/comedy mixtures ever. This film is one awesome venture with the presence of both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker helping to create a winner for the action genre. RUSH HOUR is entertaining, a fast-paced cop-buddy flick. Part of this film's success owes to the eccentric chemistry between the two leading stars. For example, Jackie Chan's athletic capabilities are strikingly in contrast to Chris Tucker's overzealous, fidgety reactions. Chan's ability to maneuver high risk jumps, leaps, and other assorted dangerous stunts definitely keeps the energy going while Tucker's jittery silliness always creates a warm smile on the viewer's face. Tucker's motor-mouth is surprisingly compatible to Chan's martial arts prowess. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are a definite revelation!

The cast in RUSH HOUR prove themselves worthy of their roles. Besides the two main characters, the supporting cast is terrific. Elizabeth Pena adds a touch of sentimentality as Tucker's unappreciated sidekick who turns out to be an asset to the police department after all. Mark Rolston (ALIENS) and Tzi Ma (CHAIN REACTION, RAPID FIRE) as a strategic FBI agent and Consul Han respectively all add credibility to their parts. Newcomer Julie Hsu is also fabulous as a hostage who proves to be more difficult for the bad guys than they can handle...

RUSH HOUR has top notch stunts mixed with one-of-a-kind comical moments which help make this film an enlightening combination of action and comedy, with a dash of Chan's fantastic skill work.

The Chan-Tucker collaboration is the best on-screen duo since Abbott & Costello! The duo has showed all their right moves and have proven themselves a spectacular heroic pair for moviegoers to cheer on everywhere. Again, the action in RUSH HOUR is no short of exhilarating with outrageous sequences such as Chan trying to protect a valuable vase from the wrath of the bad guys.

Great dance moves by Tucker, but nobody impresses the audience like Jackie Chan leaping from place to place, mowing down the bad guys! RUSH HOUR is fantastic fun! A must-see for die hard action enthusiasts. This film is Jackie Chan's and Chris Tucker's finest hour. Watch for the requisite funny outtakes by the film's end credits.

RATING: *** out of ****.

I enjoyed Rush Hour very much, yes it is a little silly, but what it is really is harmless fun. The two leads, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are an inspired double act, though I will say, that sometimes Tucker's mouth runs away with him, so I didn't always understand what he was saying at times. The clever plot, involving an international kidnapping, actually allows Chan to do what he does best, but I did wish there was a little more of it. The script is irreverent, if only let down by what seemed like some improvisation from Tucker, that sometimes got off target. There are some excellent camera work and stunts, making this a hugely enjoyable film, not as good as Shanghai Noon, but a delight for fans of Chan. 8/10 Bethany Cox.