A Chinese consulate's daughter is kidnapped, so he sends back to Hong Kong for a top cop (Chan) to find her. The FBI doesn't want Chan messing with their investigation, so they decide to pair him up with a reckless LA cop (Tucker). The two hate each other at first, but -- as if you didn't know -- they grow to like each other and team up to save the kid.

Rush Hour is an okay movie; it's basically watered-down Chan. The plot is no better or worse than many of Chan's recent movies -- it's full of cliches (the partners that hate each other, the bomb wire-cutting bit, etc.) but the movie moves along at a good clip, so you don't think about the cheesy plot too much. However, the action sequences pale in comparison to even some of the lesser Chan movies. There was talk bantered around that Chan couldn't do what he wanted to do because of insurance regulations, but, truthfully I think it's a case of Chan's advancing age more than anything. Don't get me wrong -- the action sequences are quite competent... but that's all they are. There's none of the brilliance of the Chan/Urquidez fight in Dragons Forever or the Axe Gang sequence from Drunken Master II.

As Rush Hour is lacking in the action department (and probably to make it more palatable to American audiences), the film seems to concentrate more on the comedic bits. Basically, all I can say is that while Chan and Tucker have good chemistry together, I personally Chris Tucker to be one of the most annoying personalities in film today. But if you like him (as many others do -- maybe it's just me), you'll probably find Rush Hour a very funny movie. Chan is pretty funny, even though most of the jokes come from the tired "East meets West" thread (like the "Beach Boys" bit shown in the trailers).

To sum up this review, I'll use an equation: a good American action/comedy movie plus a horrible Jackie Chan movie equals something that minor Chan fans will love but major fans will probably dislike.

Some notes:

• Rush Hour was a huge hit in the States, taking in $150 million and becoming New Line's biggest box-office hit to date.
• Originally, Eddie Murphy was offered Chris Tucker's role, but Murphy didn't want to be Chan's "sidekick." Murphy instead opted to make Holy Man, which was a huge stinker at the box office.

Check out a trailer for Rush Hour (clip from the official Rush Hour site)

A review of the DVD for this movie can be found here

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