Rush Hour
Chad'z rating: ** (out of 4 = fair/below average)
1998, PG-13, 94 minutes [1 hour, 34 minutes]
[action/comedy]
Starring: Chris Tucker (James Carter), Jackie Chan (Detective Lee), David Warner (JunTao), Tom Wilkinson (Thomas Griffin); written by Ross LaManna, Jim Kouf; produced by Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Arthur M. Sarkissian; directed by Brett Ratner.
Seen October 3, 1998 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rotterdam Square Mall Cinema 6, (Rotterdam, NY), theater #3, with my brother John for free using my Sony/Loews critic's pass. [theater rating: **1/2: okay seats, sound, and picture]
If it's true society is losing its attention span, and appreciation of the finer things in life then it makes perfect sense a film like `Rush Hour' would be a big hit. It has two big stars, a classic premise and promotions that promise both comedy and action, and yet there's almost nothing to it. It's Hollywood's definition of productivity - to put in the least amount of effort as possible and be successful with it.
This film capitalizes on what I refer to as `the dead weekend monster,' a film that wouldn't succeed during the war of the special-effects-summer-movies or during the holiday seasons. A smart Hollywood exec knows when movies make money and when they don't, it's all a matter of timing and the right timing can anything look good.
Let's look at the facts: it's a `cop-buddy,-but-not-really' movie starring two semi-big celebrities who have become quite popular due to starring and/or co-starring in several smaller films. Chris Tucker seems to be marketed as the next Will Smith while Jackie Chan, who is a legend in overseas martial arts flicks, is just now getting the attention he deserves. Neither have a thing to lose by being in this film, no matter how bad reviews it gets it's guaranteed to win at least a few weekends' top gross. Everyone involved with this film will most likely go on to do just slightly better next year and every year until they reach the top. In the meantime, we'll just have to stick it out.
To say the film is paint-by-numbers is an understatement to be sure. At least it tries to have a little fun with the hand it's dealt. We start out in Hong Kong, the last day of British rule where the basic plotline is set up and some of the main characters are introduced. There's a little action on Chan's part, he plays a Detective named Lee who's been tracking a notorious villain named JunTao (Warner) for years. We never learn much about JunTao except that he's a really mean guy and has a bad reputation, whether he's into a specific vice such as selling drugs or weapons or the whole mob scene isn't quite clear. What is clear is that he's the one who always gets away from Lee and follows his friend, a Chinese diplomat named Han (Tzi Ma) to Los Angeles and kidnaps his daughter for a hefty ransom (dut dun duh!)
At least the film is consistent in its flaws. The Chinese aspects are portrayed as quite serious with the whole system of honor and everything and immediately we cut to the American counterpart - LAPD Detective James Carter (Tucker), who's a trash-talking, hyperactive, loose canon that isn't afraid to break the rules, risk lives and property damage, but that's what cops in L.A. in the movies do (you don't think they actually find clues and follow leads do you?).
And then there's our friends the Feds, who are supposedly the smartest criminal-catchers in the world and have access to advanced technology, but still can't figure out how to get out of unusual personnel moves. After Han's daughter is kidnapped, the FBI steps in but the feds are almost outraged when they learn Detective Lee is on the way to help them out, so they somehow get Carter to `babysit' him because `he'll just get in the way' while they handle business.
Naturally the first act is concentrated mostly on the comedic aspect with Tucker doing his spiel while Chan handles the action. The film wastes a large chunk of time with a chase scene in which Lee runs from Carter all the while making for comedy and action with the mix of stunts and one-liners and slapstick. Eventually the two start to work together towards solving the case, even though it's quite clear they've been asked not to and don't know where to start.
Throughout most of the duration of the events, as silly as they often seem, they're at least consistent and full of energy. Tucker can be funny, as his appeal lies in his delivery and attitude, not the script. The said can be said of Chan, who has almost nothing to do, he's either getting into fights or on the verge of tears when he spits out rhetoric at the villains. Watching his fight scenes are more interesting on a mathematical level than they are as pure adrenaline excitement. He uses everyday objects to disarm his enemies and always has perfect timing. No matter how by-the-book the story is, Chan's action always seems spontaneous and improvised.
Eventually the film does begin to concentrate a little harder on the more taxing elements such as the plot and the mystery of where the little girl is and how Carter and Lee are going to find her when the feds can't. A few interesting detective skills are thrown in that give the film a ray of hope every once in a while, but they all end up following the same lead - ending with zany fight scenes. Not to say the fight scenes are all that bad, it just seems repetitive after a while.
And what's an action film without a major action-packed finale with a twist of the ol' timebomb and the villain-almost-gets-away and the hero-almost-dies? Surprisingly, the ending here is quite weak. Throughout the film the action had always been coupled with comedy, but here it's mostly just chaos.
There's just not much of anything of any value to `Rush Hour.' Will anyone think much of it a year from now? There's nothing insightful or innovative to it, and yet it's just part of a trend. Movies shouldn't be made as fast food for the eye.
e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1998 Chad Polenz
Member of: The Online Film Critics Society The Internet Movie Critics Association The Online Movie-Goers Academy
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