Rush Hour 3 Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)August 14th, 2007
"Rush Hour 3" - Congestion Ahead
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
Ok, it's the third time around that Rush Hour
buddies Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan have
partnered up to take on various evil-doers.
Chris Tucker brings back his spirited,
helium-infused voice and his humility-be-damned
antics. Jackie Chan brings back his affability
and his quick,
although-not-quite-as-quick-as-he-once-was,
moves. I don't think that we get to see enough
of either of these two talented entertainers on
the big screen. However, in "Rush Hour 3", we've
seen this all before. Even after a 6-year gap
since the last "Rush Hour" flick, this film seems
like a tired re-hash of the second installment.
Sadly, I felt that these two actors were just
trying to cash in on an easy paycheck. It's the
same-old/same-old. Tucker plays the flamboyant
Detective Carter and Chan plays the
straight-faced Lee. Neither are really meant to
be with each other, and yet they can't seem to
get away from one another. Again, these two find
themselves investigating the activities of a
Chinese crime syndicate, which takes them on a
trail from Los Angeles to Paris. Tucker and Chan
continue to play up their cluenessness regarding
foreign culture. Tucker has an amusing scene
inside a martial arts dojo reminiscent of Abbott
& Costello's classic "Who's on First?" skit.
Chan, the good sport that he is, is just fun to
watch as he forces out his English lines. In the
outtakes, a signature element in all of Chan's
films, you get to see him mess up his action
scenes and/or mess up his lines. The outtakes
showed his messed up dialogue more than anything
else. And, it's just a reminder of how little
action there actually is in this action-comedy.
The comedy, though, is more-or-less there thanks
to Tucker's histrionics. But he's so
over-the-top that it disrupts the flow of the
film. One of the elements involves rescuing a
damsel in distress. Another element focuses on
Chan's personal history and how it is affecting
his ability to perform his duty. But you've got
Tucker swaggering his way forward, you have Chan
contemplating his way forward, and then you have
the villain odiously staring his way forward.
The feel of the film just lacks consistency. The
missing ingredient, I think, is a more involved
and better-realized set of dialogue between the
partners themselves. There is one funny part
when the two discover that there is more love
than hate in their love-hate relationship.
However, the film lacks any defining moments.
The energy and the atmosphere just never take
hold.
At best, the film is a chance to get your Rush
Hour fix. At worst, the film is just a cop-out.
Honestly, the goofing-around and the goofball
villains that run amuck are so childish that I'm
surprised that during their scenes the actors
just didn't burst out laughing at how dumb the
whole project is. But, their overall
good-naturedness is what saves this from
receiving a worse grade. If you find yourself
caught in this "Rush Hour", you'll feel like
you're going nowhere fast.
Grade: C-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 1 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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