Rush Hour
Starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan Directed By Brett Ratner Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
(New Line Cinema)
A standard buddy movie with the added delight of Jackie Chan. The little guy from Asia is also dynamite on screen, and that's no exception in this western interpretation of a Chan film. The trailer explains this one's concept the best; "when the fastest hands in the east meets the biggest mouth in the west." The biggest mouth in the west happens to be new sensation Chris Tucker, fresh from The Fifth Element. Chan and Tucker play Detectives Lee and James Carter, who are both on the case of finding a young Asian girl who has been kidnapped. The standard buddy movie stuff happens: big explosions, 'witty' one liners, and a silly plot. Rush Hour is more amiable than most buddy films, however, due to the chemistry between the two leads, and Chans outrageously fast action sequences.
This is definitely Chans film, and he lights the screen every time he appears. His action scenes are much funnier and faster than anything Arnie or Stallone has done, and they also rely much less on guns. His English is also very good, and away from action he's still likeable and delivers a rounded performance. Tucker is more unpredictable, he's a more immature Eddie Murphy. He's high pitch whine could grate, and he doesn't get the lines he deserves, but he could be worse. Still, something clicked with American audiences, as this film was one of the sleeper hits of 1998. The supporting cast are the usual stereotypical police, and the 'love interest' is the amusing Elizabeth Pena. If you're an action freak, don't worry: the film doesn't even attempt to provide any character development (except the standard scene where the mismatched cops 'bond.') Tom Wilkinson makes an unexpected appearance fresh from The Full Monty, and an embarrassed looking Chris Penn also pops up (probably as a favour to someone.)
There's some reasonable action, and some impressive explosions which make Rush Hour all the more enjoyable, if somewhat predictable. The soundtrack is good, featuring the usual Def Jam tunes to a funny sequence where Chan puts Beach Boys on the radio. ("Don't ever touch a black mans radio" Tucker retorts.) The writers, Ross LaManna and Jim Kouf, have churned off an average script, but it is somewhat likeable. There's nothing here that hasn't been seen before, however. Director Brett Ratner also handles things pretty well, but again it's somewhat average.
Thankfully, Rush Hour, like it's title, never lags, due to Chans quirky charm and Tuckers "Eddie Murphy" shtick. The plot may be middle of the road, the character development non existent, and the film does seem to have nowhere to go about three quarters into the film, but there's nothing fundamentally flawed with the movie. Jackie Chan fans should certainly take a look: for everyone else, Rush Hour is an entertaining waste of 97 minutes.
RATING=*** OUT OF *****
A David Wilcock Review ©1998
DAVID WILCOCK david.wilcock@btinternet.com Visit the Wilcock Movie Page! http://wilcockmovie.home.ml.org -OR- http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9061 Recieve Wilcock Movie Page Reviews via E-MAIL Send a blank E-MAIL to wmp-reviews-subscribe@makelist.com to join the mailing list!
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