Movie Info

RATING:

PG-13 for action violence, language and some sexual material.

GENRE:

Action/Comedy

STARRING:

Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, John Lone, Roselyn Sanchez, Ziyi Zhang, Alan King, Harris Yulin, Don Cheadle

DIRECTOR:

Brett Ratner

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

Andrew Z. Davis

SCREENPLAY:

Jeff Nathanson (script for the sequel, Speed 2) & Ross LaManna (original story and characters for Rush Hour)

DISTRIBUTOR:

New Line Cinemas

 

Please Note

In providing movie reviews on our site, CBN.com is not endorsing or recommending films we review. Our goal is to provide Christians with information about the latest movies, both the good and the bad, so that our readers may make an informed decision as to whether or not films are appropriate for them and their families.

MOVIE REVIEW

Rush Hour 2 Lacks Punch

By Laura Bagby
CBN.com Producer

What's This?

CBN.com - Synopsis:

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker team up again for this slap schtick comedy/martial arts adventure. Chan reprises his role as Detective Inspector Lee of the Royal Hong Kong Police, while Tucker returns as the loud-mouthed, oversexed, sanguine Detective James Carter of the LAPD.

Carter is looking for a good time while vacationing in Hong Kong, but his hopes of entertaining beautiful Chinese women (which he affectionately refers to as "Moo Shoo") are dashed when Lee is asked to investigate a recent U.S. Embassy bombing that killed two U.S. customs agents who had been investigating a money smuggling ring. Lee suspects gang leader Ricky Tan (John Lone, The Last Emperor), once the police force partner of Lee's deceased father, is the criminal mastermind behind the mass production of the "super bills," or counterfeit U.S. $100 bills.

The detective duo works together to stave off Tan's karate-kicking henchmen, his billionnaire partner Steven Reign (Alan King, the multitalented actor, comedian, and bestselling author), and his high-kicking and lethal vixen Hu Li (Ziyi Zhang of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), as well as the enigmatic, whose-side-is-she-on Secret Service agent Isabella Molina (Roselyn Sanchez, who will be seen in the upcoming film Boat Trip with Cuba Gooding Jr.) in order to recover the counterfeiting plates and foil Tan. Along the way, our partners-in-law get themselves into some hilarious and embarrassing situations as they travel the globe from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

My Take:

While the sequel to the 1998 hit has raked in $250 million worldwide, according to the movie's official Web site, rushhour2.com, thus proving to be the expected box office boon, I was disappointed by the staleness of this latest Jackie Chan flick.

The typical Jackie Chan junkie goes to see the screen stunts of the 47-year-old Hong Kong native for two reasons: Chan's comic appeal, and Chan's daredevil martial arts moves. Anything less and fans are likely to be miffed.

While the sequel does provide some comic slapstick moments and funny one-liners for Chan, and the expected fast-paced, karate-chopping gyrations, Chan is often upstaged by stand-up comic Tucker. The buggey-eyed funny man gets most of the laughs, while it seems Chan is content to play the straight man and concentrate on perfecting hand-to-hand combat. (Honestly, is this a Jackie Chan picture or a Chris Tucker vehicle? Perhaps they should change the billing.)

To its credit, the film does have several side-splitting scenes, driven by some promising dialogue. In one scene near the beginning, Lee says to Carter: "This is my land. Here I am Michael Jackson and you are Toto." Carter responds, "You mean Tito! Toto is what we ate for dinner last night!" And at the massage parlor, after fighting Ricky Tan's entourage, Carter accidentally punches Lee, saying, "Sorry, you all look alike!" The comic delivery and the racial undertones of these lines brought uproariously laughter from the moviegoing audience, as did Carter's bumbling efforts to speak broken Chinese.

Unfortunately, these comic bright spots were often overshadowed by Tucker's over-the-top, sexually-charged responses. After enduring Tucker's tiresome ranting and raving, and use of mild profanities, I was ready to see some stellar stunts.

By far the best action scene of the film was when Lee and Carter, hanging from ropes, come face to face with an approaching semi on the freeway. What ensues is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, albeit brief. Second to this would have to be the massage parlor fight scene for its comic appeal and fast-paced and well-timed acrobatic jabs.

Overall, however, there were fewer spectacular fight scenes in this film than in previous Chan movies. I suppose that after years of broken bones while doing death-defying feats, a talented actor and athlete like Jackie Chan can afford to take it easy, but I missed those glass-breaking, copter-jumping scenes of his former films.

Chris Tucker fans will likely enjoy this flick, while Jackie Chan fans will likely conclude the martial arts star has seen better days. For those simply looking for a buddy cop comedy, you will get what you pay for.