Rush Hour 3
The word on this second sequel to the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker original is that it is one of the worst movies of the year, according to the the bulk of the nation's critics. Then there are those die-hards you can always rely on to provide positive reviews for the newspaper ads: according to them, "Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have never been funnier!" Well, if they had never been funnier than they are in this movie, they wouldn't be as famous as they are today. But the film still isn't the complete turkey many would have you believe.
It starts out promisingly enough, with Tucker completely lost in the Prince song playing on his headphones, singing and dancing along... problem being, he's supposed to be directing traffic, and his dance routine is causing more than a few problems. (In "Rush Hour 2" Tucker was a bit too manic and over the top for my tastes, so the fact that I found several of his scenes here to be actually funny is a good sign. I also enjoyed his "Lou Costello" role in a kind of variation of "Who's On First?".) The presence of Max Von Sydow (significant supporting role) and Roman Polanski (two cameo scenes) give the film a little class (Von Sydow more than Polanski), and in spite of his being a bit past his physical prime, Jackie is still capable of doing some amazing stunts.
HOWEVER... the plot, such as it is, isn't much. If you've seen the original "Rush Hour", you've essentially seen this one (a lot of movies, like the Jason Bourne series, repeat elements from one film to the next, but many... including the Bourne films... manage to do so with more imagination and panache). And it's becoming increasingly obvious that Jackie is in it either just for the cash or because of some kind of contractual obligation. I've rarely seen any star of any film who so clearly has no enthusiasm for what he's doing, and the joy and enthusiasm Jackie brings to his best roles is one of his great appeals. Virtually the only time you see him smile is during the out takes over the closing credits. And after a first half that at least shows a certain minimal amount of creativity and sense of fun, the picture falls apart as it goes on and revives only briefly when Jackie does one of his best stunts (watch for the French flag in the Eifel Tower scene).
There are a lot of other movies you could see to get a better idea of what Jackie Chan at his best can do. Many of them are quite recent, too... but most of them are made in Hong Kong, not Hollywood. And Chris Tucker at his best? Check out the FIRST "Rush Hour", or Ice Cube's "Friday". If you're already a fan of this film's stars, it won't destroy your fondness for them and will even provide you with a few memorable moments to add to their "galleries" of highlights. But for those who aren't, this would definitely not be the best first Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker film to see... or the best first "Rush Hour" to see either, for that matter.
It starts out promisingly enough, with Tucker completely lost in the Prince song playing on his headphones, singing and dancing along... problem being, he's supposed to be directing traffic, and his dance routine is causing more than a few problems. (In "Rush Hour 2" Tucker was a bit too manic and over the top for my tastes, so the fact that I found several of his scenes here to be actually funny is a good sign. I also enjoyed his "Lou Costello" role in a kind of variation of "Who's On First?".) The presence of Max Von Sydow (significant supporting role) and Roman Polanski (two cameo scenes) give the film a little class (Von Sydow more than Polanski), and in spite of his being a bit past his physical prime, Jackie is still capable of doing some amazing stunts.
HOWEVER... the plot, such as it is, isn't much. If you've seen the original "Rush Hour", you've essentially seen this one (a lot of movies, like the Jason Bourne series, repeat elements from one film to the next, but many... including the Bourne films... manage to do so with more imagination and panache). And it's becoming increasingly obvious that Jackie is in it either just for the cash or because of some kind of contractual obligation. I've rarely seen any star of any film who so clearly has no enthusiasm for what he's doing, and the joy and enthusiasm Jackie brings to his best roles is one of his great appeals. Virtually the only time you see him smile is during the out takes over the closing credits. And after a first half that at least shows a certain minimal amount of creativity and sense of fun, the picture falls apart as it goes on and revives only briefly when Jackie does one of his best stunts (watch for the French flag in the Eifel Tower scene).
There are a lot of other movies you could see to get a better idea of what Jackie Chan at his best can do. Many of them are quite recent, too... but most of them are made in Hong Kong, not Hollywood. And Chris Tucker at his best? Check out the FIRST "Rush Hour", or Ice Cube's "Friday". If you're already a fan of this film's stars, it won't destroy your fondness for them and will even provide you with a few memorable moments to add to their "galleries" of highlights. But for those who aren't, this would definitely not be the best first Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker film to see... or the best first "Rush Hour" to see either, for that matter.
posted by Joe Bunce at
9:18 AM
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