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Starring
:
Jackie
Chan
Chris
Tucker
Tom
Wilkinson
Chris
Penn
Elizabeth
Pena
Action
:
Sing
Ga Ban
Producer
:
Roger
Birnbaum
Arthur
Sarkissian
Jonathan
Glickman
Director
:
Brett
Ratner
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RUSH
HOUR (1998)
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
A
tentative moment for any Jackie fan was on its way in 1998
with the third and possibly final attempt for JC to make a
successful breakthrough into the fickle Western market.
Previously, Chan had tried and failed to make his mark in
lacklustre productions 'Battle
Creek Brawl' and 'The
Protector' which, ultimately, were let down by characters
unsuited to Jackie’s normal style and restrictions over the
way action was filmed and choreographed. However, this was set
to change with JC cast as the lead in a kung-fu comedy with
the freedom to bring in his own stunt team and style the
action Jackie's way!
With
the added bonus of already established actors such as the 'love-him-or-hate-him'
Chris Tucker amongst talented thespians Tom Wilkinson and
Elizabeth Pena it seemed Jackie could only blame himself if he
failed again. Fortunately for him and Chan fans world-wide it
was a roaring success and set him up for many future American
movies including the entertaining 'Shanghai
Noon', the superior sequel 'Rush
Hour 2' and exciting projects such as 'Tuxedo' to be
produced by none other than Stephen Spielberg.
First
impressions upon watching RH were disappointing. I went to the
cinema having recently re-watched 'Armour
of God', 'Dragons
Forever' and 'Police
Story' so was excited to see what Chan could do with a big
budget and a desire to impress. As I left the theatre I
remember thinking how he must be past it, forgetting the
obvious reasons as to why the action I so longed to see was
not evident. It is well reported now that Jackie was given
very little time to prepare scenes with his stunt team, made
worse by the refusal to allow him to do stunts the Americans
deemed too risky. Coupled with his less than perfect English,
a cut budget and a first time director, it is clear now that
'Rush Hour's success is a phenomenal achievement.
As
a Jackie Chan film, it is only worth 3 stars, due to the
average action and his character playing second fiddle to
Chris Tucker in terms of both screen time and script. However,
as an action comedy, it is one of the best efforts to come out
of Hollywood in recent years as not only is it laugh-out-loud
funny, but the action is still 10 times better than anything
else around at the time. Chris Tucker keeps you smiling and
there are still moments of Chan magic for us all to enjoy.
Let’s not forget also, that it has spawned what appears to
be a new franchise, with the recently released RH2 being
better in all departments than its predecessor boding well for
the future.
The
DVD too is excellent, with a number of interviews and behind
the scenes footage, making it a worthy addition to any action
fans collection. If you don’t already own it, buy a copy,
but be sure to leave a space next to it for part 2!
Rating:
 
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