Competent but unspectacular action adventure, starring Jackie Chan in his first major Hollywood role. He plays Inspector Lee of the Hong Kong police force which, in the final days of British rule, seeks to uncover and destroy a crime syndicate led by the mysterious Juntao. When he succeeds in stopping priceless treasures being smuggled out of the country all is well, but two years later his friend Consul Han, while living in Los Angeles, has his daughter kidnapped by Juntao and Lee is transferred over to LA to help the local police solve the case. Unsurprisingly the police there, not to mention the FBI, are unwilling to let him help and partner him with Detective James Carter (Tucker), whose ability is... questionable. Together they attempt to thwart Juntao's plans, rescue Consul Han's daughter and all the while do this without the FBI catching on and stopping them.
The actual plot is rather thin and obvious, but the main success comes in matching Chan, with his martial arts skills and comic timing, with Tucker whose broad comedy and quick mouth is a surprisingly effective foil. The usual buddy-buddy cop moves are routinely followed, they don't get on, they fight, they eventually see themselves as good partners et al, but the film is well served simply by the two leads impressive performances. Chan went on to follow this success with Shanghai Noon, which brought him together with another superb up-and-coming actor in Owen Wilson, so he's obviously found his niche in America. Rush Hour was followed by a sequel in 2001 and a third in this succesful series is planned for 2007. |
