Rush Hour

Rush Hour became a cultural staple when it was originally released in 1998. While it was on the surface just a generic buddy cop film with a comedic edge starring two relatively well-known actors of polar opposites, the light-hearted atmosphere and believable chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker propelled the film to somewhat of a cult status, earning much better success at the box office (earning $244 million worldwide) than from critics, who were more mixed on the film than anything. It resulted in two sequels, made both Chan and Tucker famous names in the American media space, and showcased a film that adopted a kinetic energy and flair akin to the Hong Kong martial arts films Chan was infamous for, yet still contain a distinctly Western energy that acted as a nice blend for the time. While nobody on this planet will call this film fantastic, you’re bound to find a ton of people who will call it entertaining and a treasured favorite for them personally. After moving from Hong Kong to live in America, Chinese consul Solon Han (played by Tzi Ma) is planning to showcase several recently recovered Chinese treasures in an exhibit, but these plans are halted when his daughter, Soo Yung (played by Julia Hsu) is kidnapped by Sang (played by Ken Leung), a second-in-command for a top crime lord in Hong Kong known as Juntao, who wants payment in exchange for Soo Yung’s life. After the FBI is called in, Han calls in Detective Lee (played by Jackie Chan) to assist in the case as he was the one to retrieve all the stolen artifacts, but the FBI (for some undisclosed reason) doesn’t want Lee on the case and instead put him in the care of an LAPD officer instead. The officer in question is detective James Carter (played by Chris Tucker), a loud outspoken cop who is put with Lee as a punishment for a past failure, and the two try to exist together despite Carter’s insistence on not wanting a partner. Upon learning more about the situation and discovering that Han’s old friend, British police commander Thomas Griffin (played by the late Tom Wilkinson) is behind the kidnapping, they will have to use their strengths in order to save the girl in time. Rush Hour has an unbelievably stale plot, restrictive writing and has even aged pretty poorly, yet the film’s light personality, memorable action scenes and legit chemistry between the leads as well as most of the actors, makes this one that still has merit looking back all these years later.

The film began as a spec script in 1995 written by the film’s story writer, Ross LaManna, and the film was tossed around between a few studios before New Line Cinema acquired the rights and distributed the film. Given their track record of producing movies that take what could be an edgy gritty film and presenting it in a playful manner, they feel like the right people to lead this kind of movie, as without its very playful attitude, there are so many ways this filmed could’ve fail. The most obvious factor is that this story is beyond tired and almost disturbingly lazy with how simple it is. Buddy cop films as a genre have been criticized in the past for their very stale and predictable direction, but even by the genre’s standards, this is the most formulaic, simplistic, and uncaring narrative one of these films have done in a long time. Nothing is surprising, any plot threads feel like they barley have investment at all, all the characters are such obvious archetypes, and you could literally predict every scene that occurs in this film, it’s that by-the-numbers. This wouldn’t be too distracting if the writing was strong enough to freshen up the premise, but there is very little in this screenplay written by LaManna and Jim Kouf that really presents the comedy, the characters and especially the plot in any interesting fashion. Its lines and conflicts have been heard several times over, the film is so ambivalent about its narrative that any moment attempting to have heart falls flat, and the film also has a few lines and even scenes that come across as fairly insensitive and inappropriate by today’s standard (which is pretty weird given that the leads are Chinese and Black). While the film does have funny moments and sometimes it comes through an inventive scenario like the duo being paired as a punishment for each other rather than a specific task, the manner in which they bond being over some crazy dance/martial arts training, and even the way they talk the villain out of detonating a bomb at the end of the film,  but for the most part, the film is relying on the directing, acting and tone of the film to really push things forward. Thankfully, most of those elements are handled pretty well and leave this movie as more than just a severely outdated flick. The directing by Brett Ratner is able to keep the film light in tone, comic in attitude and brisk in pace, never staying too long in a moment which does result in a shallow storyline but helps in keeping things from getting boring. It has good momentum, has plenty of corny aspects without feeling painful, the action is entertaining, the characters are enjoyably cartoonish, and while it’s nowhere near the strengths of Chan’s Hong Kong action flicks, it does its best to emulate that tone and attitude.

The characters in this film are expected archetypes of the genre, and sadly most of them are painfully cut-and-dry and do little to go outside that box. This is the most prevalent in the villain’s side, as all of the bad guys or even antagonistic people are played so one-note and so blandly that it takes away from what should be an off-the-walls experience. Mark Rolston and Rex Linn are so irritating as the FBI agents as their actions are so nonsensical and clearly orchestrated just to cause unnecessary conflict that leads into a cliché third act, its arguably the worst written part in the movie. Ken Leung at first looks really great as the bad guy; he has an intimidating look, his voice is effectively threatening, his facial expressions are a joy to watch, and his actions and attitude make him a solid force for both leads to go up against. However, he is quickly tossed aside for Tom Wilkinson (who is so obviously the bad guy that its honestly insulting that they thought it would be a surprise), who is just a generic white businessman villain that leaves no impression whatsoever, forcing Leung into the backseat and pushing away the much better alternative threat for the film. On the flip side, most of the good guys are handled relatively well as despite also being one-note roles that have little to work with, the actors are strong enough to make them come across as genuine and likeable. Bit parts like Tzi Ma as the father and Elizabeth Peña as another LAPD cop have some good moments, very brief cameos from people like John Hawkes, Clifton Powell, Barry Shabaka Henley, and Chris Pen make this world feel alive yet still a little weird, and even Julia Tsu as the child doesn’t come across like an annoying trope and feels fairly real for the minimal screen time she has. Clearly the highlight of the film for many is the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, two people who were definitely known at the time in Hollywood but weren’t to the level of stardom that this movie would push them towards, and it does feel like there was a bit more effort put into their pairing than just face value. It’s typical to see a quiet action figure paired with a hyperactive talker in these flicks, but it feels like it’s using both their strengths to an entertainingly obvious degree (pair someone who’s known for his stunts with someone who’s known for never shutting up) and both are able to make the most of it. Chan is obviously good at the stunts but even from an acting standpoint, he plays the capable yet naively cheery character pretty effectively, and while Chris Tucker could very easily become annoying, it feels like he knows when to dial back and how to compose himself. Against the odds, his acting is good enough that you can feel him thinking in his head when to go crazy and when to be a little reserved, its honestly very appreciated.

For a movie that is clearly trying to be similar to other Jackie Chan action films, you can tell the movie isn’t quite up to that level from a comedic or even an action standpoint, but you can at least feel the attempt. It doesn’t just feel like a regular American buddy cop flick, as there is at least a sense of chaotic flair to the stunt work and even some of the performances that feel more in line with Chan’s previous work, and it does result in some of the set pieces being pretty fun and not just like standard cop-based action scenes. There are occasional chases on foot and shoot outs, and some of the martial arts stuff is kind of just used as goofy one-offs that have no bearings on the story, but when they happen, they are standard but fun, and ironically get a little more inventive when Tucker gets involved. Seeing the both of them choreograph in a way that is simultaneously flowing and also awkward is pretty entertaining and results in some fun moves that seem abnormal, but work in the film, and the duo’s favour. The climax is also a little fun, incorporating all of the major characters, featuring big scale stunts like sliding down a tarp after a massive fall, and features enough comedy to lighten up what could be an intense situation (which the movie would’ve tried and probably failed at doing). With cinematographer Adam Greenberg, having worked on movies of this style and personality in the past, he knows how to shoot the environment and even the action in a way that feels clear and well angled, yet a little unpolished and gritty, it adds something that is appreciated. The music by Lalo Schifrin has an element of the time period as well, containing enough traditional action qualities but with a hint of an Asian element to it that makes it feel like a perfect illustration of what the movie is going to be like (although that can be over-exploited sometimes when the stereotypical Asian music will play at random to the point that it again feels a little insensitive).

Rush Hour isn’t going to win awards for being a trailblazer in any department, and there are arguably far better movies in and outside of the genre that take advantage of these tropes, characters, actors and even action set pieces in a more meaningful way. However, for what this movie has at its doorstep, for the time period and for the kind of film it’s wanting to get across (which is too be fair, not a lot), it does it pretty well. There are elements that haven’t aged well, and the story and writing are laughably simplistic, but the film’s energy, the passion of most of the performances, and the legit entertainment level that comes from some of the scenes and some of the action moments make it a fun flick that does warrant another viewing. Considering that both Chan and Tucker want another movie after all these years in spite of the action genre evolving to a point now where it is usually more camp than grit, there is a market for this, but we’ll have to wait and see if the fan base would still be willing to rush out to see it the same way they did originally.