Ruttle's Reviews: The Archives

Partners in Paris

"Rush Hour 3" (2007)
Directed by: Brett Ratner (Rush Hour 1 & 2,
X-Men: The Last Stand)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow
Running time: 90 min.
Rut's Rating: 4/5

Opposites still attract in the latest installment of the "Rush Hour" franchise. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return to their respective roles of Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, in the second sequel to a hugely popular and successful movie series. In their latest adventure, Lee and Carter travel to Paris to do battle with the Chinese Triad, a Mafia constituency. When the Ambassador of China is assassinated and the clues lead them to Paris, Lee and Carter get mixed up in the dangerous group and someone from Lee's past may be a part of it.
The formula in "Rush Hour 3" is simple, yet effective. Take a by-the-book, mild-mannered, Chinese martial-arts practicing officer, pair him with a loud, bombastic, wise-cracking African-American detective, and throw them both into a murder or kidnap plot. Audiences have obviously loved the pairing; the first two films in the series made over $350 million combined. These films may not exactly be on the level of something like "The Godfather" or "Heat", but sometimes you just want a movie that allows you to sit back, kick up your feet, and forget about all your problems for about 90 minutes, and that's what the "Rush Hour" movies give you.
You can tell that Chan and Tucker have fun with their roles; some of the dialogue comes off as being improvised, but it works because of the off-beat chemistry of both actors. Detective Carter is loud, over-the-top, and in my opinion funnier than ever. At times, it isn't exactly what Chris Tucker SAYS that's funny, per say, but HOW he says it. And Jackie Chan is, as always, a great straight man to Tucker's style. Also, the impressive stunts and action scenes that Chan still pulls off are a testament to his dedication and persistence. It would have been easy for Chan to suggest a stunt double, but a true professional, he decided to once again go his own. And the results are impressive once again; watch for a great-looking car chase in the streets of Paris, as well as a fist-fight at the top of the Eiffel Tower as just two examples of the action in this movie.
If anything, the only fault that I saw in "Rush Hour 3" was that it was too short. It clocks in at about 83 minutes when the end credits start rolling, as well as the pre-requisite blooper reel to accommodate them. I would have liked another 10 minutes or so put into it, maybe some character exploration or another cool car chase or action sequence. But maybe that's what made the franchise successful in the first place - they set up the plot, throw Lee and Carter into some crazy shenanigans, give us the action, give us the funny, give us the ending, and they're out. It's not a bad thing, really. I just really liked the film and wanted to see more of it.
If you've seen the previous two "Rush Hour" films, or just like mismatched partners in an action movie, much like Riggs and Murtaugh in "Lethal Weapon", then you just might like this third adventure. Funny, explosive and action-packed, the traffic doesn't slow down in THIS rush hour.