RUSH HOUR
(PG-13)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
James Carter (Chris Tucker) is an LAPD detective who keeps getting into trouble. When a Hong Kong official’s daughter is kidnapped in L.A., Carter is assigned a new partner on the case: Hong Kong inspector Lee (Jackie Chan). Even though the FBI is trying to keep this bickering pair of cops away from the investigation, the two soon become friends and help uncover the case.
WHAT I LIKED
I love a good buddy cop film, whether it’s “Lethal Weapon” or “Red Heat.” They were a staple of my teenage years growing up in the 80s, and they’re still fun to watch now. As one of the last great buddy cop films of the 20th century, “Rush Hour” is a big heap of fun.
I’ve never been much of a Chris Tucker fan, though he has fine chemistry with Jackie Chan, which is why they were able to make two (and possibly more) sequels to this movie. Both actors have enough of a handle on comedy to really make the movie fun, amidst threats of killing a child, but they are both fit enough to make the action scenes believable.
“Rush Hour” is a great blast from the past, and while I’m not fond of the fact that I realized this movie is more than twelve years old, it’s one of the better buddy cop films I’ve seen in a long while.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There really isn’t too much about this movie that doesn’t hold up. In fact, the only thing that really reeks of the 90s is a couple music cues and some general camerawork that tips its hat at its decade. (But to be honest, there’s too much camera movement in movies nowadays, so I welcome a little bit of steadiness to the action sequences.)
Oh, and if you know your history, the changeover of Hong Kong from British rule to mainland China also gives away the decade.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
There isn’t anything on this disc that you can’t already seen on the DVD, so this is one of those future-proofing high-definition purchases for “Rush Hour” fans. Still, it’s nice to see all the old features imported onto the Blu-ray, which is not always standard practice.
Vintage features include commentary by director Brett Ratner, deleted scenes, two music videos, the theatrical trailer and an isolated score with commentary by composer Lalo Schifrin. There’s also a feature-length behind the scenes featurette gallery as well as Ratner’s short student film “Whatever Happened to Mason Reese?” which should inspire anyone to hit up Steven Spielberg for money.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of buddy cop movies, Chris Tucker or Jackie Chan.