Rush Hour 3

I believe Rush Hour 3 is the last of the summer threequels. It’s unfortunate that it fell a week after the critically-adored Bourne Ultimatum. I’m sure the comparisons have hurt the film a little, but Rush Hour 3 is not as bad as critics would have you believe. It does have the same humour and storyline as the previous two films; so if you liked the first two Rush Hours, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t like the third.

The only reason to watch this franchise is to see the chemistry between Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and watch some well-choreographed action. Well, Rush Hour 3 delivers these elements again. The chemistry is still there, though not as funny as the first one. Their bond is stronger now but the film continues with its racial profiling especially in a lame montage where they order food from their partner’s ‘culture’. Their singing and dancing is mined for laughs yet again; some parts fun, some parts predictable, and some parts bizarre. The action is intense at times, especially on the Eiffel Tower; but you can tell that Jackie Chan is not as limber as he was nine years ago.

The nice addition to Rush Hour 3 is a French cab driver, played by Yvan Attal, who longs to be an American action hero. His first interaction with Chris Tucker’s Carter is a bit annoying but the character definitely grows on you. It was also nice to see the Soo Yung character (the singing kidnapped girl in Rush Hour) all grown up to give some connection to the first film.

There are some disappointments with this film as well. The first is the predictable bad guy. If you can’t figure out who it is early on, I would be shocked. Also, Roman Polanski (director of The Pianist & Chinatown) as a detective who enjoys giving full cavity searches is tired and sad. The dance off into the sunset is also atrocious.

What probably amazes me most about Rush Hour 3 is that we haven’t seen Chris Tucker do anything since Rush Hour 2. I don’t know if Tucker is patient or just lazy. In any case, you have to be impressed with his salary hikes. In 1997, Tucker made three films (Fifth Element, Money Talks and Jackie Brown) then went on to do Rush Hour for three million. Then he did nothing for three years and managed to increase his salary to twenty million for the sequel. Again he did nothing from five years, then signed on to Rush Hour 3 for 25 million, which is one of the biggest paychecks an actor can get. I’m impressed. And I still like Chris Tucker and his fast-talking ways. I would like to see him do something else though. Rush Hour is over.

So should you see it in the theatres? Sure. It does have some great action sequences but I’m guessing most people will wait for the DVD. Can’t really blame them. This isn’t a must-see film, but it still entertains most of the time.