Director - Brett Ratner
Starring - Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Ziyi Zhang, Roselyn Sanchez, John Lone, Alan King, Don Cheadle
Length - 105 minutes
You know my local cinema has increased their ticket prices up by a further 50 pence meaning I now have to pay a full £5.50p. Do you know what I could get with that 50p? A yummy ice-lolly, a daily newspaper, a 288ml carton of Ribena, something from Claire’s 50p sale, or half a lottery ticket maybe? Well anyhow, I paid the extra pence because I wanted to see Jackie Chan bitch slap someone in the face! You know it was probably worth it too.
The original Rush Hour was an action/comedy buddy movie similar to Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours in some ways. In fact as buddy movies go you can even add Nothing to Lose, Men In Black, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Ratner’s previous film Money Talks and a couple of others that you’ll probably never pick up at your local video store. And although they’re not always like this they normally follow a similar pattern. There’s two guys, one guy is black, they both don’t seem to get on at first, they’ll sometimes both get involved in a little tiff with each other, solve or work something out together and then they’re friends in the end! Although Rush Hour pretty much stuck to that pattern it still earned millions worldwide. Well if the formula worked once then there’s no harm in trying it again so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I say that the sequel isn’t as vastly different. Not so much of a bad thing though as I quite enjoyed the original film. But then again, what could they have improved on? Some more action scenes and stunts maybe? More explosions, faster fights from Chan, funnier jokes from Tucker? Well they are in fact all there and that’s just what I was expecting. Hey, the film even has a story too! Keep in mind that its intention ISN’T to become an Oscar winner, but to pass as a summer blockbuster.
Rush Hour 2 starts where the first left off with Detectives Lee (Chan) and James Carter (Tucker) on vacation in Hong Kong. However this vacation doesn’t last for long as there’s been an explosion at a US Embassy building. While Carter wants to receive some ’mushu’ and get with some girls Lee receives a call about what’s happened, with the suspected bombers pointing towards a certain Triad gang. So Chan quickly gets to work. So quick in fact that we find him in fighting mode within the first 10 minutes. Well why do you think they called it Rush Hour? The story is a simple excuse to have the two male leads doing what they do best, yet it isn’’t actually as bad as I thought. It takes a few unexpected turns along the way with the action moving back to L.A in America and finishing up with an explosive finale in Las Vegas.
I wouldn’t say it’s really necessary to have seen the first film to enjoy this, even if there are a few nods and references to it. But if you haven’t seen the first film (shame on you) then story elements that you’ve missed out on are explained in more then enough detail here, so it’s pretty easy to follow.
What I liked about Rush Hour was the unlikely pairing of a Black and Asian man. I don’t think anyone could have expected Chan and Tucker to team up together and the relationship between them kept me watching, making it one of the reasons why I enjoyed the original so it’s nice to see them return. It’s the cultural differences between Chan and Tucker that might make you wonder just why they’re together but I have to admit that they do work well on screen. One delivers the action; the other delivers the comedy. It’s as simple as that. And even if they do tread in the others area of expertise, they’re great to look at and are just as enjoyable as they were the first time around.
Chan maybe getting to old for this (47 years old and he’’s still jumping out of windows?) but this film is enough proof to show that he can still perform and doesn’t have to rely on (many) special effects as it’s just pure action all the way. Due to his increase in age his stunts here might not match up to previous efforts as in his past movies, but they still excel with highlights including a fight at a massage parlour and some explosive action at a casino. Compared to the first movie it appears that Chan has been given some more freedom in his stunts this time, doing things which are just that little bit more dangerous. But you can see that they have taken some extra precautions too (note the CGI background during the final big bang). However the stunts are fast, frantic, even funny in some places and they’re so good that you’ll want to try them at home. Basically Chan is the man!
Competing with Chris Rock as being classed as the next Eddie Murphy, Ratner’s best friend Chris Tucker is very funny indeed as the comical side of the duo. He’s sharp, making racist remarks and doing it for Nelson Mandlea! But at that tone of voice of his you might wish to have him shut up for at least a minute. It was interesting to see him fighting more in this sequel and not resorting his guns, which gives him more to do during the action. Comedy is his strong point though and he doesn’t disappoint with plenty of lines that got me as well as the whole audience laughing out loud. But it’s not just Tucker alone as the movie does have its moments, such as the Michael Jackson rendition and a scene stealing cameo appearance by the man who can do no wrong, Don Cheadle! As is customary in all of Chan’s films there are outtakes at the end where we see Chan suffer for his art and Tucker who just suffers from forgetfulness. These outtakes raised almost as many laughs as the film itself.
Ziyi Zhang also deserves a mention as she plays gang member Hu Li; a very crazy and very bad girl who gets to kick both the male leads into painful positions. She speaks little English in real life so most of her dialogue will be read as subtitles (do you have a problem with that?). She’s already received rave reviews for her performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and I feel that her role here will propel her to move on to even more projects.
Sure it’s an old and tired formula but as buddy movies go this one has been cranked up to such a level that I doubt you’ll find one as action packed or as funny as this... well, there is the first film! Thankfully Rush Hour 2 isn’t Another 48 Hours as I feel that this is one of those few sequels that just passes the mark and improves on the original. My father even enjoyed it calling it a good laugh, and you have to believe me as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a film that he likes. As for me... well I know I’ll probably get shot for saying this but so far I think that Rush Hour 2 has been the highlight of this years summer movie season. Even if I did pay a little extra then expected, I still got what I paid for.
Points of Interest:
Don Cheadle is uncredited for his appearance in the film.
Due to a tie-in with United Airlines and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Rush Hour 2 received its premiere on an airline flight from Los Angels to Hong Kong on July 26th, eight days ahead of its theatrical release date.
The boat and casino that appear in the film are named ’’Red Dragon’’. Coincidentally Brett Ratner is slated to direct the Silence of the Lambs prequel also called ’’Red Dragon’’.
While on set Jackie Chan was unexpectedly punched in the nose by a so-called fan who expected Chan to block the punch.
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have already committed themselves to a third Rush Hour movie.
Where as in the first film Jackie Chan was paid $5 million and Chris Tucker $3 million, their pay cheques for Rush Hour 2 were a lot bigger. Chan earned $15 million and will also receive a share of the profits while Tucker picked up $20 million.