Rush Hour 3 gets a bad rap. People say that we didn't need a third Rush Hour film, but fans of the first two will disagree. Do we ever NEED sequels to comedies? Not usually. But a lot of times they can be worth it. Rush Hour 1 didn't break any new ground, so I guess we technically didn't NEED that movie either. But while we're at it, we might as well keep them coming and continue being entertained.
The concept of Rush Hour 3 is far more intriguing than in the previous film, with an actual coherent plot. This third installment begins as Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) nearly gets assassinated when he is about to reveal the identity of the Shy Shen--a legendary individual that holds the names of the leaders of the Triads. Detective Lee (Jackie Chan) and Detective Carter (Chris Tucker) venture to Paris to find and protect this individual. The plot isn't as predictable. Plus, we get some great twists and turns.
Tucker and Chan are still pretty funny. I'd say funnier than in Rush Hour 2. Even though Tucker's leash is just as short, the jokes are better written and more unexpected than in the last film, where a lot of the humor comes from inside jokes from the first movie.
We're actually given some good action sequences, with Tucker finally "learning" martial arts and joining in on the action. There's a really impressive final fight scene that highlights the already well-complimented movie.
I wouldn't be against more Rush Hour movies. When it's all said and done, they're harmless entertainment founded on two actors' dynamic chemistry. Who wouldn't want more of that?
Twizard Rating: 83
Buddy cop movies are one of the few genres that can be made over and over again with the same basic premise and no one ever minds. Rush Hour doesn't break any new ground, but Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan have an unmatchable chemistry that makes it nearly impossible not to love this movie.
Each lead has a scene in the beginning by himself, showing his life before he meets the other. It's entertaining, but what it really does is prove how much better they are together.
The story takes off when a Chinese diplomat's daughter is kidnapped by a crime lord in Los Angeles, he employs Hong Kong's best detective, Lee (Chan), to help solve the case. The problem is, the FBI doesn't want Lee involved, so they assign an LA cop, Detective Carter (Tucker), to essentially babysit him. Carter is the laughing stock of his department because he's always bragging about himself with little evidence to back it up.
Lee and Carter don't get along at first, which adds to the humor. The two come from opposite worlds, yet they find ways to bond. Whether it's how neither of them are wanted for this case. Or how each of their fathers died in the line of duty.
Rush Hour has all the makings of a corny '90s action film. The cliched musical score backs up an even sillier series of events. But the humor is organically hilarious and the story doesn't become more complex than it needs to be, so we can see past its flaws. Over 20 years later, it holds up better than almost any comedy from that decade.
Twizard Rating: 88
