Vince's Views
Rush Hour reviewed by Vince Yim
In some respects, Rush Hour is the ultimate exercise in cliched filmmaking. The hero is the renegade cop that prefers to work alone. The cop in question cannot solve the case until he gets in trouble. All Chinese people are somehow involved in the criminal element. The duo must always be completely mismatched. The hero has to say some smart-assed comment before (and after) shooting someone. However, that doesn't necessarily make for a bad film.
Rush Hour is Jackie Chan's first major Hollywood film since the dismal The Protector (1985). Proving once again that Hollywood can learn many things from foreign film markets (ie: Hong Kong), Jackie Chan is given much more free reign than before. Still, some die-hard Jackie Chan fans may be disappointed, as even Chan himself has voiced displeasure over the length of the fight scenes (which he views as too short, according to one interview).
This film takes a familiar theme of east meets west. Jackie Chan is Lee, the straight laced inspector who is imported to help deal with a kidnapping case, while Chris Tucker is Carter, the loudmouthed, destructive cop that is `promoted' to the FBI to help him. Or, at least, so he thinks (also another classic notion in action films: the FBI must always get in the way of our heroes).
Despite the necessary conventions of action films, Rush Hour is some of the most fun you'll spend and hour and forty minutes watching. Jackie Chan continues to be one of the most exciting martial artists on the big screen, continuing to perform his own stunts and dazzling audiences with his flashy kicks and punches. Chris Tucker, familiar from his whiny, annoying role in The Fifth Element is more palatable, complementing Jackie Chan's straight-laced character.
However, Jackie Chan still maintains his comic-slapstick edge, as expected of him and his films. Perfectly downplaying the `fish-out-of-water' routine through his character's attempts at mixing into American culture, he makes up for the down time his character experiences. When he is in action, however, you'll be amused and dazzled. Still being inventive in the use of objects to beat people up (in this case, a steering wheel, a serving tray, and a barstool), Jackie Chan proves to be THE pioneer of slapstick kung fu.
Chris Tucker's character may come across as irritating, yet is also humorous. Since he's not a physical actor to the level of Jackie Chan, he uses his main weapon: his mouth (hence, the tagline, `Fastest hands in the east meets the fastest mouth in the west'). While dialogue is not necessarily Shakespeare, it is appropriate for the film and still very funny.
While not necessarily poignant, attempts at character development and growth between characters come off surprisingly well. Lee's `knowledge' of American pop culture (`That's the Beach Boys!') when contrasted against Carter's lack of knowledge of Chinese culture makes for an interesting scene where Lee teaches Carter the kung fu disarming trick, while Carter teaches Lee hip-hop dance moves.
While Rush Hour is not at the same level as Police Story 3 and 4 (known in North America as Supercop and Jackie Chan's First Strike, respectively), it more than makes up for the poorly received films Operation Condor and Mr. Nice Guy. With its appropriate mixture of high kicks and lots of laughs, it makes for a fun film. As well, it is a true departure from Jackie Chan films, as it is missing one common element: a whiny female co-star.
Rating: 8/10 --
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