Rush Hour
February 2, 2004

After being shunned by the FBI, LAPD officer James Carter (Chris Tucker) and Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) team up in order to find the kidnapped daughter of Consul Han (Tzi Ma).

Already an internationally renowned star, this was the movie that really propelled Jackie Chan’s status in the United States. Despite the fact that Rush Hour isn’t exactly politically correct with its many racial and sexist jokes, it’s still extremely entertaining and one of my favorite Jackie Chan movies.

The heart of the movie is the chemistry between Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Jackie plays a good straight man to Tucker’s over-the-top loud mouth character. They just had a natural bond that really made you believe that they were buddies regardless of their differences.

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour

If the heart were the chemistry, the soul would be the action sequences. When watching a Jackie movie, you tend to expect incredibly elaborate fight sequences and Rush Hour doesn’t disappoint. From the opening scene to the final action sequence, the fun doesn’t stop. Personally, I liked the fight in the restaurant the best.

“This is the United States of James Carter now. I'm the president, I'm the emperor, I'm the king. I'm Michael Jackson, you Tito.” Chris Tucker is just absolutely hilarious in the movie. Now, he doesn’t strike me as a heroic lead, but he fit perfectly in the movie. His sharp tongue and quick wit just leaves you laughing the whole way.

The fight scenes were pretty good even though they’re few in numbers. Biao Yuen steals the first fight scene with his incredible acrobatic moves, which are used far too few in the movie. Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan give us what’s normally expected out of them with solid action.

The only problems I had with this movie were some of the obvious mistakes that were left in. There’s one part where Officer Johnson picks up a cordless phone, presses the button and the phone error sound goes on.

This is just a good, fun movie to watch. If you just want to sit back and laugh while enjoying some fun action, definitely go out and get this movie.

Joe gives Rush Hour...

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