← Back to Reviews
in
Rush Hour
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Final Verdict: [Pretty Good]
Rush Hour
Action Comedy / English / 1998
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Beef Burrito, Chicken Wings, Baby Back Ribs, Eel, Camel's Hump, what in the ****.
It's unfortunate that Chan would go on to be very dismissive of much of his American work, I imagine Battle Creek Brawl was a cruddy first experience and studios' eagerness to culturally charge his appearance in an American setting (even though it was handled pretty evenly in Rumble in the Bronx) pulled comedy to the forefront, sacrificing the action stuntwork Chan is known for and personally enjoys.
I've always been put off myself by the racial humor in the Rush Hour movies, I really don't find lines like "you don't ever touch a black man's radio" or Chan saying "what's up my *****" funny, they're just feeble attempts to stir the effervescent melting pot at best and cringe-inducing at worst. It's also far FAR from Chan's best action work.
That said, and as much he may deny it, Rush Hour has easily got to be one of his best movies. Chan's movies almost always tend to drag narratively, the action sequences, spectacular as they may be, are the dying pulse that encourages viewers to endure the rest of it's idle nonsense. The race humor in Rush Hour isn't funny, but neither is the usual immature slapstick we tend to find in his other movies.
Jackie Chan's likable not just because of the jokes, or even the insane stunts he performs, but because brings a charming passion to each project, and at least that doesn't feel absent here. Starring alongside Chris Tucker tends to be the dividing point with these movies, save the diehard Chan fan who daren't suffer a movie with any less than 3 kung fu fights in it, you either love him or hate him, at least that seems to be how it comes down, but I for one feel that while yes, he can become extraordinarily obnoxious, it's a gradient, in the first Rush Hour he is quite tolerable.
What really works here is that both of these actors aren't really playing characters terribly far beyond their own personalities and they're such clashing personalities that they're naturally perfect to compliment each other. Call backs to whether one speaks determines whether they can speak and dialog about their respective fathers who they looked up to as policemen only to have it come down to "my dad could beat your dad" contest are great. Tucker's charisma and resourcefulness really gels well with Chan's determination and skill, at least when it comes to the job, which is the entire point of the movie.
There's also something special about seeing these two fish from either sides of the pond liking very different music, but can agree that they both enjoy War by Edwin Starr enough to warrant a training montage.
It's unfortunate that Chan would go on to be very dismissive of much of his American work, I imagine Battle Creek Brawl was a cruddy first experience and studios' eagerness to culturally charge his appearance in an American setting (even though it was handled pretty evenly in Rumble in the Bronx) pulled comedy to the forefront, sacrificing the action stuntwork Chan is known for and personally enjoys.
I've always been put off myself by the racial humor in the Rush Hour movies, I really don't find lines like "you don't ever touch a black man's radio" or Chan saying "what's up my *****" funny, they're just feeble attempts to stir the effervescent melting pot at best and cringe-inducing at worst. It's also far FAR from Chan's best action work.
That said, and as much he may deny it, Rush Hour has easily got to be one of his best movies. Chan's movies almost always tend to drag narratively, the action sequences, spectacular as they may be, are the dying pulse that encourages viewers to endure the rest of it's idle nonsense. The race humor in Rush Hour isn't funny, but neither is the usual immature slapstick we tend to find in his other movies.
Jackie Chan's likable not just because of the jokes, or even the insane stunts he performs, but because brings a charming passion to each project, and at least that doesn't feel absent here. Starring alongside Chris Tucker tends to be the dividing point with these movies, save the diehard Chan fan who daren't suffer a movie with any less than 3 kung fu fights in it, you either love him or hate him, at least that seems to be how it comes down, but I for one feel that while yes, he can become extraordinarily obnoxious, it's a gradient, in the first Rush Hour he is quite tolerable.
What really works here is that both of these actors aren't really playing characters terribly far beyond their own personalities and they're such clashing personalities that they're naturally perfect to compliment each other. Call backs to whether one speaks determines whether they can speak and dialog about their respective fathers who they looked up to as policemen only to have it come down to "my dad could beat your dad" contest are great. Tucker's charisma and resourcefulness really gels well with Chan's determination and skill, at least when it comes to the job, which is the entire point of the movie.
There's also something special about seeing these two fish from either sides of the pond liking very different music, but can agree that they both enjoy War by Edwin Starr enough to warrant a training montage.