Rush Hour (1998)
A Film Review by Mark O'Hara
The funniest moments in Jackie Chan's American movie Rush Hour happen when cultures clash.
There's a scene in which impetuous Detective Carter (Chris Tucker) points his pistol at wise Hong Kong Inspector Lee (Chan). Watching the gun-happy could-be crooks, a cabbie pulls out a gun of his own and makes them freeze.
There's Lee's conflict with FBI agents, who get Carter assigned to actually keep Lee off the case. The premise of the film, of course, relies on the failure of Carter's baby-sitting; the action becomes hilarious when Lee gets away from Carter and outwits a houseful of federal agents.
Finally, there's the running joke of the Chinese detective who is repeatedly confused by African-American culture. The audience gets many chuckles from the initial tension between the two cops. Whatever egotistic ruse Carter tries out, Lee thwarts or shames or betters him. Chan is at his best when his comic skills run on naiveté; it's even better when his innocence gets him into big trouble, as it does in a pool hall. Oh, how quickly Chan charms us with humor and veers into well-choreographed violence!
The reason Inspector Lee visits the States is to assist in a kidnapping case: the daughter of the Chinese Consul Han (Tzi Ma) has been taken. What's moving is that Lee takes the crime somewhat personally; he's like an uncle to her, good-naturedly taking punches from the girl as she departs China. It is Lee's connection as strong family friend that motivates his relentless battling of kidnappers as well as other officers.
Tom Wilkinson does a passable job in his role, though his character could have been made more round. As the evil Sang, Ken Leung combines the right amount of sour stares and shakiness; he's also a horrible shot with a machine pistol. It's unclear why Elizabeth Pena appears as a partner - and sometime foil - to Tucker's loud-mouthed Carter. She is always likable, but here fails to convince us she is a demolitions expert.
Jackie Chan's closing credits usually show out-takes from the shooting. Once again we get an idea about how rigorously the cast worked to produce the slick and athletic mayhem that is a trademark of Jackie Chan. How many takes were needed to produce the fight in the Chinese restaurant? In the abandoned building? Did Jackie break or sprain anything during the shoot, we wonder?
Originality is the key element in these slugfest sagas; let's face it, plots in Chan films can be found in Kojak or Beretta episodes. But director Brett Ratner has created a film with smooth transitions and spots of characterization that actually make us care about Lee and Carter and some of the people they work with. In seeing Rush Hour, what gave me my money's worth? First, my son and I had the theater to ourselves. OK, it was a small auditorium, but still it was like viewing a video on an extra large private screen. Bottom line, I laughed out loud at Jackie's over-the-top stunts and martial arts gimmicks. The man knows the power of exaggeration, and he knows that the audience is smart enough not to take him too seriously.
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