movie review rush hour 3

Fools rush on

Cops Carter and Lee (Chris Tucker, left, and Jackie Chan) find their latest case brings them to the City

I like this movie about as much as it’s possible to like a movie with a two-star rating. Given its materials, it couldn’t have been much better, but it’s every bit as good as it is, if you see what I mean. Once you realize it’s only going to be so good, you settle back and enjoy that modest degree of goodness, which is at least not badness, and besides, if you’re watching “Rush Hour 3,” you obviously didn’t have anything better to do, anyway.

The filmmakers didn’t, either, I guess. It has been six years since “ Rush Hour 2 ,” and unless you believe that director Brett Ratner and his stars, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan , spent all that time turning down offers for a sequel, it seems fairly likely that this is a case of returning once more with a bucket before the well runs dry. Tucker is again Carter, the motormouth LAPD cop who’s always in trouble, and Chan is again Lee, the ace Hong Kong cop called in to partner with him. This is, you realize, a formula. A friend of mine (I think it is me) calls these Wunza Movies. You know, wunza L.A. cop and wunza cop from China, and neither wunza guy you want to mess with.

Curious how Carter is always being hauled in from a punishment gig like traffic detail and being assigned to super-important cases that will require him to investigate backstage at the Folies Bergere in Paris, etc. This time, one of Lee’s old pals, Ambassador Han, has been shot in an assassination attempt in L.A., probably by a Chinese Triad gang, who are getting to be as handy as the Mafia for movie plots. Lee, in town as the ambassador’s bodyguard, runs after the shooter in one of those impossible Jackie Chan chase scenes; it used to be we were amazed by his stunts, but these days I find myself even more amazed that he can still run that far.

Lee partners with his old friend Carter, and they go to the hospital to question the ambassador’s beautiful daughter Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu). This produces the movie’s funniest line, by Carter: “Let’s go to the gift shop and get a little teddy bear.” Soo Yung had possession of an envelope with key evidence her father was going to use in testimony before the World Court. The envelope is, of course, this movie’s MacGuffin, and was stolen from Soo Yung at her karate academy.

The cops go there and have a battle with the world’s tallest man (Sun Ming Ming). I think he’s the same man who got married recently and was about twice as tall as his bride. Or maybe he’s another tall guy — naw, it has to be the same guy. Yao Ming, the basketball player, is only 7 feet, 6 inches, and Sun Ming Ming is 7 feet, 9 inches. A guy that tall, on his wedding night he could be making love and solving a Rubik’s Cube at the same time. When Jackie Chan engages him in kung fu, he has to call on some of his wall-climbing skills.

Anyway, the chase leads to Paris, where the fragrant Genevieve (Noemie Lenoir) appears. Her function in the film, apart from certain plot details is — to appear, which she does to great effect. And soon Carter is backstage at the Folies Bergere, and all the time we know, just know, that the Eiffel Tower is in the background of so many shots for a reason.

Yes, there is a pursuit up and down the tower, with Jackie Chan doing the usual impossible things, although at 53, he doesn’t do all of his own stunts. What difference does it make? In these days of special effects, who can tell, anyway? For years, I suspected that the only reason Jackie did the stunts himself was to provide footage for the shots during the closing credits, showing him waving cheerfully as he was taken to the hospital.

All of these events take place efficiently, and I was amused, even by a dialogue sequence involving a “Mr. Yu” and a “Mr. Mee,” in which “he’s Mee and I’m Yu,” and who’s on first? If you are trapped in a rainstorm in front of a theater playing this picture, by all means go right in. You won’t have a bad time, will feel affectionate toward Lee and Carter, and stay dry.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Rush Hour 3

• Jackie Chan as Lee
• Chris Tucker as Carter
• Roman Polanski as Police Chief
• Max von Sydow as Reynard
• Dana Ivey as Sister Agnes
• Yvan Attal as George

Directed by

• Brett Ratner
• Jeff Nathanson

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‘rush hour 3’: film review.

In its third time out of the gate, "Rush Hour 3," reuniting Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, hits the ground stalling.

By Michael Rechtshaffen

Michael Rechtshaffen

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You’d think a movie with the word “rush” in its title would at least keep things moving at a decent clip.

But in its third time out of the gate, “Rush Hour 3,” reuniting Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, hits the ground stalling.

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'shaun of the dead': thr's 2004 review, 'better off dead': thr's 1985 review.

As buddy cop action-comedies go, “Rush Hour” from the outset always felt like the poorer relation next to a “Beverly Hills Cop” or a “Lethal Weapon.”

What it had going for it was that engaging yin/yang of the Chan/Tucker personalities that made for an amusing clash of cultures.

This time, however, the routine goes awfully stale, with the actors doing the shtick-handling without the chemistry that compensated for all the by-the-numbers formula.

Here we have Tucker’s LAPD Detective Carter and Chan’s Inspector Lee reuniting in Los Angeles before relocating to Paris to stop an international crime syndicate known as the Triads in their notorious tracks.

While their search for the elusive Shy Shen leads them from the sewers of Paris to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the picture, even with three editors at its disposal, seldom gets off the ground.

Even bits that would seem to be can’t-miss propositions, like when Tucker poses as a fey French designer named Bubbles in order to “review the troops” backstage at the Folies-Bergeres (played by a theater in Santa Ana), fall awfully flat.

With the exception of that Eiffel Tower finale that delivers a couple of sky-high thrills, if a little late in the game, the obligatory action sequences also tend to simply go through the motions, offering little in the way of freshness or ingenuity.

Admittedly, it all looks pretty terrific, thanks to the vibrant camerawork of cinematographer J. Michael Muro (“Open Range,” “Crash”) and the sets by production designer Edward Verreaux (“Monster House,” “Contact”)

With the masterful Lalo Schifrin handling the scoring, “Rush Hour 3” at least sounds like it’s moving in a propulsive direction, even as it sputters to the finish line.

RUSH HOUR 3 New Line Cinema New Line Cinema presents anArthur Sarkissian and Roger Birnbaum production Credits: Director: Brett Ratner Screenwriter: Jeff Nathanson Based on characters created by: Ross LaManna Producers: Arthur Sarkissian, Roger Birnbaum, Jay Stern, Jonathan Glickman, Andrew Z. Davis Executive producer: Toby Emmerich Director of photography: J. Michael Muro Production designer: Edward Verreaux Music: Lalo Schifrin Co-producers: James M. Freitag, Leon Dudevoir Costume designer: Betsy Heimann Editors: Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich Cast: Carter: Chris Tucker Lee: Jackie Chan Kenji: Hiroyuki Sanada Jasmine: Youki Kudoh Reynard: Max von Sydow George: Yvan Attal Genevieve: Noemie Lenoir Soo Yung: Jinchu Zhang Running time — 91 minutes MPAA rating: PG-13

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Movie Review | 'Rush Hour 3'

It’s Tucker vs. Chan, Round 3

By Manohla Dargis

• Aug. 10, 2007

“Rush Hour 3,” the junky, clunky, grimly unfunny follow-up to the marginally better “Rush Hour 2” and the significantly finer “Rush Hour,” isn’t the worst movie of the summer. But it’s an enervating bummer nonetheless, largely because it shows so little respect for its two likable stars and its audience. Once again Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, playing seriously unlikely detectives, bumble and slog through muddled setups, graceless action, crude jokes and even cruder stereotypes, sacrificing themselves on the altar of the director Brett Ratner’s vulgar success.

The arc of Mr. Ratner’s career can be summed up entirely with numbers, namely the $247,538,093 that “Rush Hour” raked into theaters worldwide; the $328,883,178 that “Rush Hour 2” made across the globe; and the mind-boggling (especially if you saw the movie) $453,796,824 earned, again worldwide, by “X-Men: The Last Stand.” These figures, from Variety, don’t include DVD revenue, cable sales and the like, but you get the big tautological picture: Mr. Ratner has a gift for making products that companies can sell to the public, which is why he makes products. Even so, given the anonymity of these products, the possessory credit “A Brett Ratner Film” seems largely ceremonial, even nostalgic, not to mention hubristic.

There’s nothing new about any of this, yet it does bear repeating every so often, even in a movie review. Like a lot of big-ticket productions “Rush Hour 3” will flood into theaters this weekend (gobbling up more than 3,700 of the nation’s approximately 38,000 screens) and, because of its ubiquity and its brawny advertising muscle, will pull in a sizable chunk of change. Bad reviews won’t make a lick of difference to its box office, though franchise fatigue might. Mr. Chan’s and Mr. Tucker’s star power has waned in the six years since “Rush Hour 2” (their bodies have noticeably slowed), and that might hurt, as will “The Bourne Ultimatum,” which opened last weekend and delivers far more action bang along with real filmmaking.

Part of the reason I’ve strayed from discussing “Rush Hour 3” is that there’s not much to say about the actual movie. It’s a generically crummy action flick. It’s ugly. It’s noisy. It’s stupid. And unlike, say, “Transformers,” which sells militarism alongside children’s toys, it doesn’t raise hackles, much less blood pressure. Thus, as an object, “Rush Hour 3” offers precious little of interest, although it does take a special kind of talent to make Paris, where some of the story takes place, look this uninviting. There, rather depressingly, Roman Polanski shows up wearing a mustache and a smirk to harass Mr. Chan’s and Mr. Tucker’s characters, who are globetrotting after some villains. Max von Sydow also pops up for a few scenes, a reminder that Ingmar Bergman really is dead.

Mr. Chan and Mr. Tucker don’t get to wiggle off the hook entirely. But people have to make a living, even movie stars, and there are limited opportunities for an aging Hong Kong martial-arts giant and an eccentrically talented black comic actor. Given how much pleasure both have provided over the years, especially Mr. Chan, here’s hoping they were paid by the truckload. Mind you, it would be nice if they could find mainstream projects that didn’t insist that the only way an Asian man and an African-American man can hold the screen together is if they engage in mutual abasement and self-humiliation. It would be nicer still if Mr. Chan didn’t have to play the sexual neuter and Mr. Tucker stopped popping his eyeballs.

“Rush Hour 3” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has racist stereotypes, mild violence and partly naked women.

RUSH HOUR 3

Opens today nationwide.

Directed by Brett Ratner; written by Jeff Nathanson, based on characters created by Ross LaManna; director of photography, J. Michael Muro; edited by Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman and Mark Helfrich; music by Lalo Schifrin; production designer, Edward Verreaux; produced by Arthur Sarkissian, Roger Birnbaum, Jay Stern, Jonathan Glickman and Andrew Z. Davis; released by New Line Cinema. Running time: 90 minutes.

WITH: Chris Tucker (Carter), Jackie Chan (Lee), Hiroyuki Sanada (Kenji), Youki Kudoh (Jasmine), Max von Sydow (Reynard), Yvan Attal (George), Noémie Lenoir (Genevieve), Jingchu Zhang (Soo Yung) and Roman Polanski (Detective Revi).

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Rush hour 3.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 4 Reviews
• Kids Say 19 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Cynthia Fuchs , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Just like the first two, but in Paris.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this third installment in the Rush Hour franchise is a lot like the first two. It's got lots of extremely boisterous comic violence, with a mix of martial arts, slapstick, and shoot-'em-up aesthetics that sometimes leads to bloodied faces and painfully twisted bodies. Motor…

Why Age 14+?

Genevieve is a model (her image appears on billboards). References to Ex-Lax, Po

George smokes cigarettes. Bar scenes show customers smoking and drinking liquor.

Variations on "s--t," "damn," "hell," and "as

Carter makes frequent sexual references; in one scene, he grabs his crotch. Clos

Repeated fights involving Lee, Carter, and Kenji (as well as Triad thugs in suit

Any Positive Content?

Carter's comic shtick is relentlessly offensive; the film makes fun of both

Products & Purchases

Genevieve is a model (her image appears on billboards). References to Ex-Lax, Poco Loco restaurants, Wonder Bread, Red Bull.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Variations on "s--t," "damn," "hell," and "ass," plus several insinuations of "f--k" (with "mother-"), but it's not said outright. A nun translating a French interrogation scene says the villain uses the "N" word several times, as well as the "H" word and the "W" word (both refer to "whore"), and "the word that rhymes with 'faggot.'" Carter says "hairy stinking balls."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Carter makes frequent sexual references; in one scene, he grabs his crotch. Close-up shots of women's bottoms and cleavage. French detective puts on rubber glove for anal probe (afterwards, Carter and Lee walk uncomfortably). Genevieve wears lots of revealing costumes. Jasmine's fight with Lee sounds like rowdy sex to Carter, who encourages his friend to "Tear that ass up!" While pretending to be a costume designer, Carter orders dancers to strip to their thongs (nakedness implied, no nipples shown). Carter describes his desire for sex with Genevieve crudely ("butter you like a slice of Wonder Bread") and in one scene gets into bed with her (his bare chest visible; she's in lingerie; he says, "My nipples are sensitive").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Repeated fights involving Lee, Carter, and Kenji (as well as Triad thugs in suits) feature hard-hitting, imaginative stunts, as well as shooting. Ambassador is shot at the film's start (body down and bloody chest), which leads to chaos and an urban chase scene with lots of falling, jumping, fighting, and some gunfire. Shootouts (in streets, hospital, nightclub) feature shattered glass, bodies flying and colliding, and bloody faces (a couple of villains fall dead). Carter threatens several others with his gun. A car explodes. George extols the thrills of "being an American" -- that is, committing senseless violence. Soo Yung is tied up and dangled from the Eiffel Tower; an extended fight sequence "on" the Eiffel Tower (courtesy of special effects) shows frequent near-falls and falls.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Carter's comic shtick is relentlessly offensive; the film makes fun of both French characters and anti-French rhetoric; Chinese Triads (gangs) are endlessly brutal, cops are inept, Lee is noble. Cultural differences are repeatedly used as the basis of jokes.

Parents need to know that this third installment in the Rush Hour franchise is a lot like the first two. It's got lots of extremely boisterous comic violence, with a mix of martial arts, slapstick, and shoot-'em-up aesthetics that sometimes leads to bloodied faces and painfully twisted bodies. Motor-mouthed co-star Chris Tucker's brand of verbal comedy includes plenty of sexual references and dicey language that seems designed to get around the PG-13 rating (for example: referring to, but not saying, the "N" word and cutting off "motherf--" before it's finished). A French detective conducts anal probes of Carter and Lee when they arrive in Paris (off-screen), leaving them in some visible pain. Supporting characters smoke cigarettes and drink, and a brief, unconsummated sex scene shows Carter in bed (naked chest) with a woman in her bra and panties. Frequent language includes variations on "s--t," "damn," and "ass." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (4)
• Kids say (19)

Based on 4 parent reviews

Parents Strongly Caution Not Suitable For Minors Under 12

Not that terrible, actually, what's the story.

Like the original Rush Hour , RUSH HOUR 3 finds perennial LAPD muck-up Carter ( Chris Tucker ) joining forces with Chinese Chief Inspector Lee ( Jackie Chan ), even though they're barely able to understand each another. This time, following the shooting of Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma, who was also in the first film), the guys make their way to Paris, a stronghold for Chinese Triad gangs. Supposedly there to protect World Criminal Court chief General Reynard ( Max von Sydow ), the duo indulges in one raucous scene after another. Not incidentally, they also end up saving two beautiful women, Han's daughter Soo Yung (Jingchu Zhang) and model-singer-gambler Genevieve (Noémie Lenoir). The action is non-stop and includes several urban chase scenes, martial arts slapstick (one pits Carter and Lee against real-life 7'9" basketball player Sun Ming Ming , here a lumbering bodyguard), and shootouts in a hospital and a nightclub. Both characters embody Carter's generally anti-French sentiments (when he meets an "Asian" who speaks French, he instructs, "Stop humiliating yourself!"). Initially dismissive of Yankees ("You lost in Vietnam, you lost in Iraq," he sniffs), George is soon won over by Carter and Lee's thrilling chaos in the form of the car chases and guns.

Is It Any Good?

Rush Hour 3 doesn't swerve from director Brett Ratner 's now-trite formula: The buddies fight, bond, trade japes, rescue beautiful women, and fight off expert killers. In the original Rush Hour , the jokes about cultural ignorance were obvious, but the charismatic players brought different skills to the movie: Chan the inventive martial artist and Tucker the motor mouth. Two films later, the combination is tired; unfortunately but not unexpectedly, the best material (once again) appears in the outtakes at the end.

In once scene, George says, he knows what it means to be an American: to "kill people for no reason." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but compared to the rest of the film's relentless repetitions -- the fights, stunts, and jokes all start to blend together -- George at least emerges as a character with an arc. Everyone else appears to be running, jumping, and screaming in place.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Lee and Carter's loyal, cross-cultural friendship. Why is so much of the movie's humor based on differences in characters' cultures and backgrounds? Is Carter's ignorance really funny, or do the jokes seem forced? Why? How does this movie compare to the first two? Does the series' "formula" still work? What changes would you make if you were the director? Families can also discuss how the film represents women -- what roles do Soo Yung, Genevieve, and Jasmine fill?

Movie Details

• In theaters : August 9, 2007
• On DVD or streaming : December 23, 2007
• Cast : Chris Tucker , Jackie Chan , Max von Sydow
• Director : Brett Ratner
• Inclusion Information : Black actors, Asian actors
• Studio : New Line
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 90 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language.
• Last updated : July 12, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

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Rush Hour 3 Reviews

Somehow manages to be even lousier than the second film.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Aug 14, 2023

Remarkably redundant yet still highly entertaining.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 27, 2020

By the third time around, though, we know that these two get along and it's just not as funny anymore.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.0/4.0 | Sep 21, 2020

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Nov 18, 2011

I hate to use the phrase, "they're only in it for the money," but if any sequel ever exemplified that ethos, it's this one. Ultimately, Rush Hour 3 is a one trick pony whose day has long since passed.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Apr 25, 2011

Although much of Rush Hour 3 is in Paris, it's no French pastry. It's more week-old Happy Meal.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.0/5 | Feb 2, 2009

I have never thought I would ever profess to be a Jackie Chan fan. Yet, at the ripe old age of 31 having just seen Rush Hour 3, it appears that I am.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 26, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 7, 2008

No matter how fast Chris Tucker shoots his mouth or Jackie Chan flashes his fists, they can't recapture the charm of the original Rush Hour in this third installment.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2008

The film is formulaic and the plot is barely connected together. But it moves along quickly and there's the occasional smile.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Mar 3, 2008

Rush Hour 3 is a stagnate yet still commercially viable franchise. It arrives on your theater screen infested with the mold of a dated, stale rehash.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Feb 28, 2008

This Rush job should put the franchise down for good.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 22, 2008

Tucker is the film's 50,000-watt mood killer, determined to fray the nerves of anyone in the theater

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Oct 29, 2007

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Oct 20, 2007

Yvan Attal steals what is otherwise an exhausted, workaday film.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 26, 2007

When the outakes are the best part of a film, you know something's seriously backward. Here's Rush Hour 3 succinctly described in one word: Meh.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 21, 2007

It is exactly what the trailer promises, providing a reasonably affordable getaway with no hassles. Fans will love it. What a rush!

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 13, 2007

Proves that $25 million does not buy a good, or even bearable performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | Sep 12, 2007

Three years later in the sequel, Tucker and Chan had found their groove, even if the movie did not have as many good laughs and great stunt work. Now, though, it is an awkward Greatest Hits Reunion Show, and neither one of them seem up to the task

Full Review | Sep 7, 2007

Some things aren't worth doing twice, let alone three times.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 29, 2007

Rush Hour 3

Where to watch.

Images & Screenshots

Rush Hour 3 Review

Rush Hour 3

Watchers who warned that a six-year gap between installments would cost the “Rush Hour” franchise some energy — especially from Jackie Chan, now in his early 50s — aren’t entirely off the mark.

By Robert Koehler

Robert Koehler

• Diversity Strong Among Oscar Foreign-Language Selection 8 years ago
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Watchers who warned that a six-year gap between installments would cost the “ Rush Hour” franchise some energy — especially from Jackie Chan, now in his early 50s — aren’t entirely off the mark. But the latest picture to feature one of the movies’ oddest crime-fighting tandems nevertheless stays true to the franchise formula of East-West fusion action, broad cultural comedy and international intrigue, this time largely in Paris. August rollout is like money in the bank for New Line, which will milk this likely final installment for maximum revenues down the ancillary stream.

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Though late summer timing is just right for the franchise, “Rush Hour 3” opens just a week after “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and while auds may take some relief in the bouncy comic rapport between Chan and Chris Tucker, they’re bound to find the action mild if not downright tame by comparison. The action bar has been raised to exceptional heights — higher than even the great Chan can leap across.

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It may take younger viewers awhile to figure out the background plot in the new pic, since screenwriter Jeff Nathanson (who also wrote the superior “Rush Hour 2”) revives characters from the first “Rush Hour”: Chinese Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) and his now-20-year-old daughter Soo Yung (now played by Zhang Jingchu, from “Peacock” and “Seven Swords”). Han is shot by an assassin in Los Angeles just as he’s ready to blow the cover on a secret triad conspiracy before the World Criminal Court.

Carter (Tucker) has been demoted by the LAPD to mere traffic cop, a job he executeswith his usual soul-hipster musical-comedy flair. As bodyguard to Han, Lee chases the assassin across downtown Los Angeles freeway ramps and bridges (where Chan has a few minutes for impressive stunt work that doesn’t involve hand-to-hand or foot-to-foot combat), only to discover the culprit is Kenji (the busy Hiroyuki Sanada ), his long-lost companion and “brother” from their childhood orphanage. Emotionally unable to shoot Kenji, Lee lets him get away.

This sets up a potentially more interesting personal conflict for Lee than in “Rush Hour 2,” in which his character had to confront his father’s ex-partner and murderer. It’s not to be, however: The Lee-Kenji battle never goes beyond the emotional level of a stare-off.

Carter and Lee hunt down an envelope with key info on the triad conspiracy. Until recently, the evidence had been under Soo Yung’s care at her kung fu studio in Chinatown (where the guys have a hilarious run-in with a giant dude played wordlessly by Sun Ming Ming, who makes Yao Ming look like a runt). Triad henchmen now have the envelope, but with a little bit of (witty) torture, the duo determine the truth lies with Genevieve (the exotic Noemie Lenoir), the star attraction at an underground Paris nitery.

The old black-Asian cultural parries between Lee and Carter have been retired; now in Paris, it’s Americans vs. the French –hence characters like stuck-up taxi driver George (Yves Attal), who’s so Americanized he dons a Lakers cap and thinks he’s an international spy. Shift is a bit of a stretch, but the Gallic friction is made more amusing by Roman Polanski (making a terrific uncredited cameo as Paris’ sadistic police chief) and the wonderful Julie Depardieu as George’s highly skeptical wife.

Also involved in all this is World Criminal Court topper Reynard (Max Von Sydow), who may or may not be the upholder of global justice his title suggests. By the time Kenji phones Lee for a final confab at the Eiffel Tower, two things will be obvious to attentive viewers: Pic is following the always-compact “Rush Hour” formula, down to wrapping things up in less than 90 minutes’ playing time; and Chan has far fewer stunt set pieces here than in any previous film in which he’s starred.

Jumps, thrusts and falls across and down the Eiffel are quite impressive, despite a few visible CGI effects, and the capper stunt involving a giant French flag is just goofy enough. Still, the pic ends rather flatly; the previous adrenaline rush just isn’t there anymore.

As if to compensate for an understandable diminution of physical prowess and martial artistry, Chan moves more aggressively into purely comic territory, offering a preview of his second career as a comedy star. By contrast, Tucker’s shtick is starting to feel long in the tooth, and the thesp feels increasingly like a second fiddle. Sanada, always a strong presence, has an underwritten role that cheats the pic of several juicy action and psychodrama possibilities. Lenoir and Attal uphold their Gallic pride, while Von Sydow plays the role Hollywood has regularly tagged to this supremely great actor: The Elegant European.

Helmer Ratner knows the “Rush Hour” routine by heart, and production values, even with several new contributors to the franchise (including solid lenser J. Michael Muro), maintain the franchise’s sharp, shiny look.

• Production: A New Line Cinema release and presentation of an Arthur Sarkissian and Roger Birnbaum production. Produced by Sarkissian, Birnbaum, Jay Stern, Jonathan Glickman, Andrew Z. Davis. Executive producer, Toby Emmerich. Co-producers, James M. Freitag, Leon Dudevoir. Directed by Brett Ratner. Screenplay, Jeff Nathanson.
• Crew: Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision widescreen), J. Michael Muro; editors, Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich; music, Lalo Schifrin; production designer, Edward Verreaux; supervising art director, Greg Papalia; art director, Chad S. Frey; set designers, Paul Sonski, Sally Thornton, Scott Zuber, John Warnke; set decorator, Kate Sullivan; costume designer, Betsy Heimann; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Jeff Wexler, George A. Flores; sound designer, Tim Chau; supervising sound editor, Chau; re-recording mixers, Andy D'Addario, Chau; visual effects designer/supervisor, John Bruno; special effects supervisor, Clayton W. Pinney, Gregoire Delage; visual effects, Industrial Light + Magic, CIS Hollywood; stunt coordinators, Conrad E. Palmisano, Eddie Braun; Jackie Chan stunt coordinator, Bradley James Allen; choreographer, Marguerite Derricks; associate producers, David A. Gorder, Darryl Jones; assistant director, James M. Frietag; second unit director, Palmisano; second unit camera, Peter Collister; casting, Ronna Kress. Reviewed at New Line screening room, Los Angeles, July 30, 2007. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 91 MIN.
• With: Lee - Jackie Chan Carter - Chris Tucker Kenji - Hiroyuki Sanada Dragon Lady - Youki Kudoh Reynard - Max Von Sydow George - Yvan Attal Genevieve - Noemie Lenoir Soo Yung - Zhang Jingchu Ambassador Han - Tzi Ma Sister Agnes - Dana Ivey With: Henry O. CQ, Sun Ming Ming CQ, Julie Deparadieu. (English, Cantonese, French, Japanese dialogue)

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Movie Review: Rush Hour 3 (2007)

• General Disdain
• Movie Reviews
• 9 responses
• --> August 13, 2007

This is definitely the year of trilogies. Spider-Man 3 , Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End started the summer season off. Now Rush Hour 3 hits the silver screen and I must say, I’m a bit surprised by this release — after all it’s been six years since Rush Hour 2 was released. Was someone in need of a paycheck?

To be honest, I’m torn on this one: on one hand the movie delivers some action packed fun and on the other hand it shows the glaring weaknesses attributed to sequels – lack of originality.

Let me start with what I found to be good. The equation is simple (why couldn’t my differential equations class be this easy?):

Jackie Chan + Chris Tucker = Funny

These guys still have fantastic chemistry. Chan reprises his role as Chief Inspector Lee, the English language mangling cop with a knack for kicking ass. Tucker returns as James Carter, the foul mouthed LAPD detective, who has tunnel vision for the ladies. They’re not paired up from the onset (as with the previous installments), instead Carter jumps headlong into the investigation of the Triad, of which Lee is already pursuing, when they try and kill an ambassador looking to unveil their leadership. The chase takes them to France where Lee and Carter are exposed to culture shock and some unexpected revelations.

And sure it can be said that Chan has lost a step – make that two or three steps – but what this guy can accomplish is still bewildering. He makes jumping off of balconies and other high flying acrobatics look fun and easy. It is such a joy to watch. As for Tucker, you love him as much as you hate him. This guy has the cornered the market for annoying, irreverent sidekicks. He hasn’t lost a step since he found his footing in Friday so many years ago. Pair this guy with any straight-man, put them in an interesting premise and a great comedy duo is born.

For the downside: Rush Hour 3 is an old dish that doesn’t have any new flavorings added to it. We can expect to get some fast paced, wickedly choreographed fight scenes and a few crazy high-flying stunts out of Chan. From Tucker we get the same old one-liners and chauvinistic attitude delivered with his signature whininess. The attempt to dress the movie up by changing the locale to France doesn’t help much either. Yes, the Eiffel Tower is a magnificent sight, but I’ve seen action sequences on it from hundreds of movies already. Adding in a French cab driver (Yvan Attal) as a third wheel really shows the writers (Jeff Nathanson and Ross LaManna) have run out ways for our heroes to interact (reminds me of Joe Pesci’s character in Lethal Weapon 3 ).

Clearly, Rush Hour 3 is the weakest offering of the bunch. While I did have a good time watching it, I couldn’t help but notice how tired Jackie Chan looked. His stunts are less extreme and less frequent – a major drawback for me. And while Tucker is still able to deliver full throttle I can’t help but hope this is the final chapter to what has been a successful “cop-buddy” franchise. See it with similar hopes.

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.

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'Movie Review: Rush Hour 3 (2007)' have 9 comments

August 13, 2007 @ 5:13 pm He-Man

I saw Rush Hour 3 last night. It is a generally fun movie to see but I couldn’t help but notice the lack of enthusiasm from Jackie Chan either. I guess the years of abuse to his body are starting to catch up.

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September 2, 2007 @ 12:39 am Word Hugger

I thought they used a lot of the same old jokes from the first and second one, but all in all it was funny as heck. The ending *not going to say spoiler* was really funny too.

November 6, 2007 @ 12:12 pm Smith

Thats a shame, I’ve always been a fan of the other ones.

I guess I will wait until its on TV before watching it.

November 6, 2007 @ 1:26 pm Atomic Popcorn

Entertaining action movie, nothing much else to say.

November 12, 2007 @ 5:57 am Sirius Lee

It’s not that Jackie Chan has lost a step or two. I think that it’s more likely that we’ve been pampered by all the CGI special effects that Hollywood has been using on these movies. Considering that Chan does all the action without the aid of computer special effects is amazing. The problem of this movie has more to do with the script, which just rehashes the same tired, old plot.

November 15, 2007 @ 7:43 pm magazin

I thought they used a lot of the same old jokes from the first and second one

November 29, 2007 @ 7:11 pm joedel

I say this movie is not that bad. I love the part when Chris and Jackie did a duet.

December 6, 2007 @ 6:07 pm Gear

This movie is for people who loved the first 2 so much they must have more. Everyone else will probably be bored by it’s predictable humor. I fell asleep half way through, which says a lot considering Chris Tucker doesn’t exactly have a lullaby voice.

April 4, 2008 @ 3:55 am Ojay

I loved the first two, but they have definitely gone too far with number 3. It was predictable, a little dry, and too raunchy. This was a big let down for me.

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Rush Hour 3

Jackie Chan is old, he’s slow, and if the rumors are true he’s started using stuntmen. The only thing older and slower than Chan is the Rush Hour franchise, which ran out of gas about the same time he did. It’s downright depressing watching Chan attempt to convincingly pull off stunts without any of the blinding speed or amazing ability which made him such an awesome action star in the first place. It’s even more depressing watching Rush Hour 3 go through the motions of being a worthy successor to the previous two movies which, even though it’s probably not cool for critics to admit it, were an awful lot of fun.

Rush Hour 3 actually starts out promising enough, with Chris Tucker doing his usual, but still occasionally hilarious, oversexed black man shtick. Chan may be tired and broken down, but Chris Tucker’s weight gain and mild sag hasn’t done much to damage his… well whatever it is he does that people seem to like. His squeaky voice?

The movie invents a reason for Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective Carter (Tucker) to get back together without wasting any time. Lee is in LA providing security for a Chinese Ambassador on the verge of breaking up the biggest criminal organization in the world, the Chinese Triad. Just before the Ambassador can reveal his vital information (who didn’t see this coming) he’s shot. Soon Chan and Tucker are on a plan to France, to root out the criminal syndicate’s leaders and bust them up.

From there things just stop making sense and they wander around encountering people and fighting with people for sometimes inexplicable reasons. The script's a mess, but at least for the first three fourths it remains funny. In the last quarter of the film though, Rush Hour 3 gives up entirely and resorts to rehashing bad action scenes from other lame movies. The film’s big finale takes place on top of the Eiffel tower, and it’s exactly like every other Eiffel tower cop movie finale you’ve ever seen, except more boring. Part of the blame for the ending is the familiarity of it all, but another part of it is simply that it’s one of the movie’s action bits Chan and isn’t any good. It’s blatantly obvious in every frame of the film that the guy just can’t cut it anymore, but by then his attempts to be the Jackie of old have gone from sad to intolerable. By that time, the movie and everyone involved is simply going through the motions, ready to latch on to anyone and anything as way to end Rush Hour 3 and get the hell off the screen. That’s alright, since you’ll be more than ready to get the hell out of your seat and into the parking lot.

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Rush Hour 3 Review

10 Aug 2007

Rush Hour 3

Chris Tucker’s salary for this film was $25 million, the highest flat fee ever paid to an actor. To justify that kind of cash, Tucker would have had to, at the very least, tap-dance through Rush Hour 3 like Gene Kelly while cracking uproarious jokes and doing wire-fu without the wires.

He doesn’t, of course, do any of that. Instead, it’s strictly business as usual for both the Elmo-voiced irritant and co-star Jackie Chan — the former sticking to his schtick (mildly offensive gags screeched in a majorly offensive falsetto), the latter looking a bit embarrassed by it all until the action scenes arrive. Miraculously, after two films, the pair still have no discernable chemistry.

Having mined Hong Kong and America for cheap laughs, the action’s moved to Paris, with the Eiffel Tower visible out of every window in case we forget. There’s some guff about the Triads, a mythical list of names that could bring them down and a not-evil-at-all-honest Frenchman called Reynard (get it, renard ?), but this being a Brett Ratner film, story is a lot less important than draping the sets with leggy models or executing a neat stunt.

Speaking of models and stunts, Tucker seems to have demanded script control along with his wheelbarrows of cash. His Detective James Carter is still a sweaty sex pest, but now the ladies are inexplicably into him, fluttering their eyelashes at his sordid come-ons instead of reaching for the mace. He’s also, as explained in a throwaway line, suddenly a black-belt in martial arts. Unbalancing the franchise’s opposites-attract equation, it turns the movie into an especially obnoxious ego trip.

So, the humour’s flat and the star stinks. What pleasures there are come from Chan’s undiminished relish for antic action — as brilliant at dreaming up stunts as he is at performing them, he understands that a fresh gag involving a table can be as exciting as a 1,000-foot freefall. Chan does what Chan can, but the lame script makes even the action set-pieces feel mechanical and uninvolving.

As a side note, and a slight endorsement, Rush Hour 3 does boast the fascinating spectacle of two patriarchs of European cinema making tits of themselves. As the aforementioned Reynard, Max Von Sydow is a late subscriber to the Garth Marenghi school of sinister acting, while Roman Polanski, architect of Chinatown and Repulsion, is reduced to fisting Chris Tucker.

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• DVD & Streaming

Rush Hour 3

• Action/Adventure , Comedy

Content Caution

In Theaters

• Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee; Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter; Hiroyuki Sanada as Kenji; Max von Sydow as Varden Reynard; Jingchu Zhang as Soo Yung; Noémie Lenoir as Genevieve

Home Release Date

• Brett Ratner

Distributor

• New Line Cinema

Positive Elements   |   Spiritual Elements   |   Sexual & Romantic Content   |   Violent Content   |   Crude or Profane Language   |   Drug & Alcohol Content   |   Other Noteworthy Elements   | Conclusion

Movie Review

Chief Inspector Lee once again acts as bodyguard to Ambassador Han, this time escorting him to Los Angeles. The Ambassador plans to reveal important information to the World Criminal Court about a deadly and powerful Chinese crime syndicate called the Triads. But before he can disclose the identity of Shi Shen, the supposed center of the crime ring, he is targeted by an assassin’s bullet. Lee spots the shooter on a neighboring rooftop and leaps into action.

Meanwhile, the LAPD’s Detective Carter has been busted down to traffic cop and is currently causing havoc in a nearby car-jammed intersection. He sees his good friend Lee chasing the bad guy and commandeers a vehicle to lend a hand. The shooter gets away, but not before Inspector Lee realizes that the man is his long-lost childhood friend, Kenji.

The Ambassador’s daughter, Soo Yung (the little girl who was saved by the intrepid buddy-cop heroes in the original Rush Hour , now grown up), doesn’t want them to give up, though, and she asks her two friends to finish their hunt. Cue Carter and Lee to punch, kick and somersault their way through … Paris.

Positive Elements

Inspector Lee refuses to hurt Kenji even though Kenji attempts to kill him several times. Instead, Lee repeatedly reaches out to encourage the man to change his ways. At one point, Lee and his old friend are dangling hundreds of feet off the ground and Kenji says, “Let go or we’re both gonna die.” Lee retorts, “No. I can save you.”

Carter, for all his bluster, speaks of being Lee’s “brother from another mother” and puts his life on the line to help him solve the mystery of the Triads. Lee and Carter risk their lives to save both Soo Yung and another woman named Genevieve.

Spiritual Elements

Carter claims to have been studying Buddhism for the last three years in an attempt to become more Chinese. That established, he—oddly—encourages a man to pray, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.”

Sexual & Romantic Content

Carter and Genevieve kiss and roll around on a bed, removing each other’s clothes. Once he is (apparently) naked and she is stripped down to bra and panties, she straddles him.

As Carter wanders around backstage at a French night club, we see a number of women in various stages of undress (from brief panties, bra and garters to topless with well-placed beads). He pretends to be a costume designer and forces women in a dressing room to take off everything but their g-strings, then line up in front of him so that he can “examine” them. He does so, and comments on their “assets.” (The camera lingers behind the group.)

At another club, Genevieve and other women wear formfitting, cleavage-baring dresses. (Her neckline is cut to her navel.) When Carter has two women in handcuffs bent over the hood of their car, the camera ogles their short-skirted backsides and then switches to view their low-cut tops.

Carter makes quite a few suggestive—and crude—sexual comments throughout the film. When a French cab driver approaches his wife with a secret, she immediately asks if he’s gay. Carter wonders if a bald woman is really a man and wants Lee to check her “equipment.”

Violent Content

Full-scale martial arts battles are what Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2 and now Rush Hour 3 are all about. Most of Lee’s fights are defensive in nature as he strives to fend off attackers. But kicks, chops, flips and sword slashes fill the air. One of the blades slashes Lee’s arm.

There are also gun battles in which men are shot. A French cab driver shoots a man in the back. Guns and knives are pointed at people’s heads and throats. An assailant attacks with a fan made with sharp blades. Carter and Lee punch a French police officer in the face.

When Carter and Lee arrive in Paris, they are hung by their wrists by the French police and beaten with phone books. Soo Yung is tied by her wrists and suspended from the Eiffel Tower. A man falls from the tower and crashes down on a building far below. A woman gets caught in a large elevator gear and is killed (offscreen). Several high-speed chases result in riders catapulting off their motor bikes and cars crashing. A limousine blows up.

Carter tortures a bound man to force him to give them vital information. The man has blood flowing from his nose and ear as the cop slaps him, threatening him with gruesome suggestions of mutilation, and putting an unloaded gun to his head and pulling the trigger.

Crude or Profane Language

The s-word is said about a dozen times; “d–n” nearly twice that. Adding “a–” and “h—” to the pack puts the total well above 50. Jesus’ name is abused once, and “g–d–n” is blurted twice.

When a nun tasked with serving as an interpreter for a Frenchman hears him use an obscenity, she refuses to swear, using the terms “s-word,” “f-word,” “n-word” and “mother f” instead.

Drug & Alcohol Content

People are briefly seen with what appears to be alcohol at the night club. Before an anticipated sexual encounter, Carter calls room service and orders a Red Bull.

Other Noteworthy Elements

A French officer puts on a rubber glove, and the joke is that he’s about to give Cater and Lee a cavity search. The two limp out afterwards. Carter makes a variety of toilet humor-oriented comments. Genevieve gambles.

A thoughtless, quick-tongued “ugly American” cop. A thoughtful, quick-fisted ace Asian inspector. Jaw-dropping acrobatics. Off-color humor. The first Rush Hour movie contained all of those things nearly a decade ago. And not much has changed since then. Director Brett Ratner has helmed all three movies, and he has almost slavishly stuck to those basics.

That creates two very real problems. 1) Rush Hour 3 ‘s script has gotten to the place where it’s really 90 minutes about nothing. It’s simply a mishmash of situations that allow the stars to perform their “magic.” 2) “Basic” off-color humor doesn’t age well. (Not that it’s fresh and flowery the first time around.) For instance, in one scene Lee is in a room battling a knife-throwing female assailant while Carter is outside the door listening to the grunts and crashes, crowing over his friend’s lovemaking prowess. Ugh.

The movie does speak of devotion between friends and the rewards gained when sacrificing for that friendship. But profanity, near-nudity and torture kick it squarely in the solar plexus.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Rush Hour 3 Reviews

• 44   Metascore
• 1 hr 31 mins
• Drama, Comedy, Action & Adventure
• Watchlist Where to Watch

In this slick, slam-bang sequel mismatched cops head to Paris to unravel a plot by Triad gangs to assassinate a Chinese diplomat.

Banking on the off-chance that audiences have so missed the comic pairing of helium-voiced motormouth Chris Tucker and action legend Jackie Chan, director Brett Ratner and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson serve up a lazy rehash of the first two installments of the RUSH HOUR franchise. It's been three years since Hong Kong's Inspector Lee (Chan) and LAPD detective James Carter (Tucker) tore up Las Vegas while chasing down the ex-partner of Lee's dad. Carter has since been demoted to directing traffic, while Lee is back in the employ of Chinese ambassador consul Han (Tzi Ma). Carter and Lee are thrown back together when a sniper wounds Han during a meeting of the World Criminal Court in L.A. Han had been appointed by WCC chairman Minister Reynard (Max von Sydow) to lead the fight against the nefarious Chinese Triads, an international criminal enterprise so large their empire is reportedly worth $50 billion, but so shadowy that some doubt its existence. Consul Han was about to provide concrete evidence of the Triads' leadership when he was silenced by the sniper's bullet. Lee chases the assassin across L.A. but lets him slip away when he realizes the mysterious gunman is Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada), Lee's adopted Japanese brother who, like his father's former partner, has gone to the dark side. While Consul Han is recovering, Lee and Carter vow once again to protect Han and his now-grown daughter, Soo Yung (Jingchu Zhang). Needless to say, the globe-trotting escapade requires Lee to perform gravity-defying stunts (though not as many as a younger Chan was able to pull off in the first two films) and Carter to sing "The Closer I Get to You" in a castrato's falsetto while Lee descends from the ceiling of a tacky Paris nightclub on a velvet swing. It all ends in an interminable brawl on the Eiffel Tower. Ratner and Nathanson tone down Carter's you-Chinese, you-so-funny humor, and toss in additional comic relief from the relentless action courtesy of an annoying sidekick (hey, it worked for the LETHAL WEAPON franchise): George (Yvan Attal), a Parisian cabbie who wants to kill someone for no reason so he can know what it feels like to be American. He may be the only flash of anything remotely resembling an innovation; otherwise, there's nothing here you haven't seen twice before, which may actually be a recommendation to fans. There's simply no accounting for taste when it comes to action comedies, or for the willingness of international talent to subject themselves to a RUSH HOUR sequel. In addition to Von Sydow and Sanada, the Japanese actor who was so memorable in TWILIGHT SAMURAI and THE HIDDEN BLADE, Judith Ivey does an admittedly funny turn as a nun recruited to translate N-word-laden threats aimed at Carter by a French thug. Strangest of all, Roman Polanski shows up to torture our heroes with a Paris phone book, then subject them to a full-cavity search. A gratuitous nod to CHINATOWN? Who knows? Who cares?

Suggestions

Review: rush hour 3.

Brett Ratner’s glossy direction doesn’t add much energy or style to the vacuous plot and tame action.

Having made nothing but Rush Hour and its sequel during the last decade, Chris Tucker seems to be either lazy or a coward. His persistent refusal to try something new, however, makes him the perfect match for this third go-round in director Brett Ratner’s cross-cultural action-comedy franchise, a sluggish repeat of its predecessors that remains mistakenly convinced that miscommunication between Tucker and co-star Jackie Chan is the funniest thing ever. In this latest installment, Tucker’s LAPD detective Carter and Chan’s chief inspector Lee reunite and travel to France to track down the mysterious leader of a global crime organization. It’s a flimsy setup that winds up making little sense, but provides copious opportunities for jokes at the expense of the Chinese, women, and the French, who, in the case of a cabbie played by Yvan Attal, use anti-Americanism as a mask to hide their desire to star in a shoot-first-ask-questions-later Hollywood blockbuster. Brotherly tension is plentiful, both between Lee and enemy Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada) as well as between kindred spirits Lee and Carter, who—in the film’s most heinously stupid scene, scored to Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”—commiserate over a falling-out by eating the other’s favorite food (Carter: Chinese food; Lee: fried chicken and sweet potato pie). Ratner’s glossy direction doesn’t add much energy or style to the vacuous plot and tame action, while Roman Polanski and Max von Sydow, in supporting parts, sully their good names—especially the former, who in one of many gay-panic moments gleefully administers a rectal exam to the ultra-hetero heroes. Throughout, Chan looks disinterested and Tucker lustily oversells verbal zingers, his helium-pitched motormouth manically spewing a steady stream of racially-minded wisecracks and Pepé Le Pew-style come-ons. Carter engages in a Chinese rendition of “Who’s on First?” but he and Lee are not only no Abbot and Costello, they’re not even the lively duo from the original Rush Hour , so bored do they now seem and so rote is their third adventure. Ratner, at least, provides a defining image for this most superfluous and slipshod of sequels: that of Lee and Carter sliding into a pool of sewage.

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Nick Schager

Nick Schager is the entertainment critic for The Daily Beast . His work has also appeared in Variety , Esquire , The Village Voice , and other publications.

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Movie Review

Rush hour 3.

US Release Date: 08-10-2007

Directed by: Brett Ratner

Starring ▸ ▾

• Chris Tucker ,  as
• Detective James Carter
• Jackie Chan ,  as
• Chief Inspector Lee
• Max von Sydow ,  as
• Varden Reynard
• Hiroyuki Sanada ,  as
• Yvan Attal ,  as
• Youki Kudoh ,  as
• Dragon Lady
• Noemie Lenoir ,  as
• Jingchu Zhang ,  as
• Roman Polanski as
• Detective Revi

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3 .

I was astounded that The Bourne Ultimatum was the third and best film in the series. How often does a series get better as it goes? It certainly is not the case with the Rush Hour movies. In Rush Hour 3 , Tucker and Chan still have the charm, but the thrown together plot is as outdated and stale as they come.

As the credits rolled at the beginning of the movie you know who the bad guy is. Remember, in Rush Hour 2 Carter said, "Behind every big crime there's a rich white man..." In Rush Hour it was Tom Wilkinson. In Rush Hour 2 it was Alan King. So when Max Von Sydow's name appears you just know it is him this time around.

Having run out of ideas, the writers bring back the Chinese ambassador and his daughter that were in the first movie. An assassination attempt on him takes Carter and Lee to Paris to fight, who else, the Chinese mob known as the Triads. Once in Paris the plot holes start growing. Carter and Lee go into a night club and Carter just happens to start flirting with a girl, Genevieve, that turns out to be very pivotal to the plot. Later, Carter, wandering the city of Paris, just happens to come across another nightclub where Genevieve is the star performer. The worst coincidence happens near the end after Carter and Lee parasail off the Eiffel Tower to avoid being shot and land several blocks away in a large pool. The bad guy and his hostage are there waiting for them?

The plot holes are not the only problem here. Genevieve does a number dressed like Madonna from her Express Yourself video. How long ago was that? Speaking of old songs, The movie opens with Chris Tucker doing an obnoxious version of Prince's Do Me . That song was from the early 80's. Besides the old song, Rush Hour 3 visits old routines. In one scene Carter gets confused talking to a Chinese man name Yu. The same routine was done in Rush Hour 2 , not to mention 50 years ago by Abbott and Costello.

With all of this mess going on I have yet to describe the most groan inducing scene put on film since Van Diesel did the Peter Panda dance in The Pacifier . Some Triads are in the audience as Genevieve is on stage making like Madonna. They are there to shoot her with machine guns as she performs. Apparently it never occurred to them that having 100 witnesses might not be a good idea, but I digress. To save her, Carter jumps on stage and starts singing to her. Lee does a Nicole Kidman, from Moulan Rouge , imitation and swings in, dueting on the same song. Chan should never sing again, at least not in English.

The movie's brightest spot comes in the form of an annoying French cab driver who at first hates Americans because they are so violent. After surviving a car chase with Carter and Lee he wants to work with them but his wife, played by Gerard Depardieu's daughter, won't let him. "Now I will never know what it's like to be an American. Now I will never know what it is like to kill someone for no reason." He moans.

Rush Hour needs to get out of the fast lane. It is holding up traffic.

Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, and Yvan Attal in Rush Hour 3 .

This third installment certainly doesn't break any new ground but neither is it as disappointing as Eric claims. If you enjoyed the first two Rush Hours then you will most likely enjoy getting stuck in traffic with Carter and Lee a third time. The comic chemistry between Chan and Tucker remains unabated.

I thought the funniest scene was one Eric disliked. Chan and Tucker dueting on stage to “Closer I Get To You” was hilarious. Music has always played a big role in these movies and this one is no exception. From the opening scene where Tucker is directing traffic while singing and grinding to Prince's classic sex ballad “Do Me, Baby” to the French street musician singing and strumming an acoustic guitar version of The Beach Boys' “California Girls”, music adds to the fun.

Sure there are a few plot holes but then logic was never the point of these movies. As far as the buddy/cop genre goes the Rush Hour movies lean way out on the comic side of things. The stunts are fun but there is never any question of real danger for our heroes. In an odd bit of casting Oscar winning director (and child rapist) Roman Polanski plays a smarmy French detective.

I agree completely with Eric that George, the French cabbie (see photo), steals his scenes. “I'm sorry, I won't be here when you get back... my wife says I can't be a spy anymore. I have to be home for dinner.” But the real selling point of these movies has always been Tucker and Chan. A fourth installment in the franchise has long been rumored. Although judging by how much Tucker and Chan aged between Rush Hour 2 and 3 they shouldn't wait too long to head back out into traffic.

Photos © Copyright New Line Cinema (2007)

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"It's showtime!"

• May 26, 2023

Film REVIEW: Rush Hour 3 (2007) - ★★★★

Director: Brett Ratner

Writer: Jeff Nathanson

based on Characters by Ross LaManna

Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max von Sydow.

Genre: Action , C omedy, Crime

Themes: Sequel

After an attempted assassination on Ambassador Han, Lee and Carter head to Paris to protect a French woman with knowledge of the Triads' secret leaders.

It is the third installment in the Rush Hour franchise.

The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from film critics.

MIX UP REVIEWS:

Jan (Age 11) - ★★★★1/2

"I think it is just as good as Rush Hour 2 but not as brilliant as Rush Hour . My favourite character is 100% going to be LAPD officer James Carter, he's a comedian. His dances were hilarious, my favourite part by a country mile. The fight scenes were brilliant and the twist (which I will not reveal) was awesome.I also really liked Kenji, he is a mysterious character but in the end he turned out to be a vicious murderer. Jackie chan was just as incredibly good in this movie as he was in the other Rush hours. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Johnny English or similar."

Have you seen it?

Like this? Try these!....

Rush Hour (1998) - #20 5 - ★★★★

Rush Hour 2 (2001) - #209 - ★★★★

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - #474 - ★★★★

RED (2010) - #551 - ★★★

Now You See Me 2 (2013) - #584 - ★★★

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) - #707 - ★★★

Johnny English (2003) - #729 - ★★★

The Mask (1994) - #769 - ★★

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) - #837 - ★

Ride Along (2014) - n/a

Of course check out the previous movies, Rush Hour & Rush Hour 2 but for more action comedies you can also take a look at R ED, Now You See Me 2, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Mask, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Ride Along and one of Jan's other favourites, Johnny English . Meanwhile director Brett Ratner also made one of the X-Men movies, The Last Stand .

Have you seen these?...

Make sure you have booked in for the latest DRAMA CLASSES at Mix Up Theatre...

• MIX UP REVIEWS
• REVIEWS - Film

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Film REVIEW: Rush Hour (1998) - ★★★★★

Film REVIEW: Rush Hour 2 (2001) - ★★★★

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Mix Up Star: COLIN FARRELL

Gallery REVIEW: Weta Workshop Unleashed - Auckland - ★★★★★

Rush Hour 3 (United States, 2007)

It's hard to think of a sadder commentary about Hollywood's sequel fetish than the existence of Rush Hour 3 . Dull, uninspired, and redundant, this third pointless movie in an action/comedy franchise that defines mediocrity doesn't even try to disguise the fact that its existence is a money-grab. I wasn't a fan of either previous Rush Hour film, but neither felt as tired and obligatory as this one. Aside from some amusing scenes with Chris Tucker and a nice déjà vu dance routine to "War" performed by Tucker and Jackie Chan, this movie offers nothing that wasn't done better in the other outings featuring these mismatched buddy cops.

The wafer-thin plot has Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) protecting a Chinese diplomat during his stay in Los Angeles. He has top-secret information about the Triad crime syndicate but, before he can divulge it, he is shot. Lee, reunited with his former partner, Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), vows to the consul's daughter, Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu), that he will find the man who attacked her father. To do this, Lee and Carter must pursue Triad assassin Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada) to Paris, where they are aided by an anti-American cab driver named George (Yvan Attal), who discovers that he has a taste for car chases and gunplay.

As was true of Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2 , this movie combines hit-and-miss comedy with lackluster action. The film doesn't have much of a pulse, and the "excitement" comes across as pallid when compared to last week's The Bourne Ultimatum (although at least the camera isn't afflicted with the shakes). This movie is probably no more amusing than its predecessors, although it's hard to be sure. Nothing in any of the Rush Hour products has been roll-on-the-floor funny, and this one is no different. Especially lame is a riff on "Who's on First" that proves the stars of this movie have nothing on Abbot and Costello. There's also a parody of emotional moments in buddy movies featuring Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." Maybe that's supposed to be an apology to the audience by Brett Ratner. Also consider a scene featuring a lot of raw sewage that may on some level be a comment about where the franchise is headed.

On of the many areas in which the movie disappoints (although, all things considered, it isn't unexpected), it's in the lack of physicality displayed by Jackie Chan. At age 53, he can no longer perform the kinds of stunts that made him an international star. Putting life and limb at risk in the line of duty are things for younger men. Most of Chan's most daring work has been passed on to stunt-men and there are hints of CGI (although not to the point where it's distracting). The end-credit outtakes, which are typically a horror show of Chan's muffed stunts, are limited here to verbal bloopers, messed-up lines, and the occasional minor pratfall. Chan's gift for comedy appears as muted as his martial arts derring-do. At no time during Rush Hour 3 is he especially funny. My assumption has been that as Chan aged, he would gravitate more toward comedy, but this isn't a good start.

Chris Tucker picks up a nice paycheck but none of the slack. However, while it's a stretch to call him "likable," at least he's not as irritating as he was in Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2 . Both Chan and Tucker are outmaneuvered in the comedy department by Yvan Attal, whose character's love/hate relationship with American culture leads to some of the film's wittiest (and I use that word loosely) scenes. Max von Sydow, in "concealed bad guy" mode, is on hand to do what he does best with that glorious bass voice. (Now that Bergman is officially in his grave, he can turn over.) And Roman Polanksi has a cameo as a French policeman who anally rapes Lee and Carter. (Yes, you read that correctly. A PG-13 movie features anal rape - although, of course, it's only implied and is used to get a laugh.) Why Polanski would agree to play this part is anyone's guess; it's not the kind of thing that will help his less-than-sterling reputation. I kept waiting for Jean Reno to show up, since he always seems on hand in these English-speaking films set in France.

Does Rush Hour 3 deliver what audiences expect of it? Only its most devoted fans will say "yes." The formula is in place but the performers are going through the motions. It's a stale version of the previous movies, and they weren't all that great to begin with. One could argue that director Brett Ratner at least invested Rush Hour with some energy. Even during the climactic battle at the Eiffel Tower, there's nothing resembling that here. This is just another disposable summer movie - so lackluster that it's not even worth searching out when it plays on television. The Rush Hour experience, which never attained anything resembling full speed, has come to a crashing halt.

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