Rush Hour 3

Director Brett Ratner returns to his element, offering a third fun, funny, and violent slapstick installment in the Rush Hour series.Rush Hour 3 sees Inspector Lee and Detective Carter back together again, trying to save the lives of a Chinese ambassador who may be on the brink of cracking open a massive organized crime syndicate called the Triads, the ambassador's daughter, and a woman with a very dangerous secret. The biggest problem, however, is the return of somebody from Lee's past with the potential to derail the otherwise stalwart Inspector. Most of this takes place in Paris, providing a different setting and a few opportunities to exploit cultural stereotypes that are new to the series.

The film is jam-packed with the wild, mildly provocative humor the series is known for, and the silly but entertaining martial-arts slapstick that is Mr. Chan's trademark. Chris Tucker gives his best performance in the series, delivering a lot of comic punch and playing a nice complement to Chan's sombre and serious Inspector Lee.

Rush Hour 3 delivers exactly what fans of the series look for - a simple linear action-thriller liberally decorated with a lot of cleverly written comedy and the amazing physical performance of Jackie Chan. It is better than many of Ratner's recent efforts, and a worthy entry in one of the very few comedy series I have enjoyed.