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 ****.
