Rush Hour 3 (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
Chris Tucker & Jackie Chan are back in 'Rush Hour 3', an action/comedy directed by Brett Ratner. After an attempted assassination on Chinese Ambassador Han, Lee & Carter (Chan, Tucker) head off to Paris to protect a French woman, Genevieve (a sexy Noemie Lenoir), with secret knowledge of the Triad's leaders. Chris Tucker is inherently funny by nature; Jackie Chan is inherently cute by nature (though, both can be perceived as irritating). I loved Rush Hour's 1 & 2, but this last installment is fairly stale. The comedy isn't as funny, the action isn't as impressive, the villains aren't as menacing, etc. I hope this tired franchise stops at '3'.
There isn't much plot to talk about because it's as thin as they come (that doesn't mean it's ALL bad). Lee, a Chief Inspector, is protecting the Chinese Ambassador during his stay in Los Angeles. The ambassador has top-secret info about the ever-present Triad crime syndicate. But at a conference, attended by one, Varden Reynard (the always malevolent Max Von Sydow), the ambassador is shot down before he can divulge the top-secret information. Still pals, Lee is reunited with Detective Carter (yes, I said Detective) to solve the case. Lee & Carter vow to the consul's daughter, Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu), that he will find the man who aimed to kill her father. Yes, this is the same Soo Yung from the 1st film.
And so, Lee & Carter must pursue Triad assassin Kenji (well-played by Hiroyuki Sanada) in France. Funny enough, they get their best aid from an unsuspecting, American-hating French taxi cab driver named George (Yvan Attal). Initially loathing Americans for their violence, George soon discovers that he may like an invigorating life of gunplay & car chases. Can Lee & Carter close this case successfully? Will Soo Yung be captured? Is it possible that Varden Reynard is the villain (come on, people, you could see it comin' from a mile away)? Everything concludes in a great scene atop/in the Eiffel Tower, of course.
'Rush Hour 3' provides hit-&-miss comedy & action (most of it is miss). Roman Polanski makes a brief cameo as a French cop who assaults Lee & Carter. I found that somewhat humorous. I got a kick out of some other things; but then, I'm a biased fan of the franchise. No one can say that Chan & Tucker lack chemistry; it's the only foundation of the film. That said, none of the slapstick comedy truly resonates ... this time around. The action is fairly feeble. I don't even think Jackie Chan (age 53) was doing all of his stunts; and that's lame. I mildly enjoyed the end-credit outtakes. But even those were funnier in the previous installments. 'Rush Hour 3' comes nowhere near the campy, breezy fun that was provided in Rush Hours 1 & 2.
There isn't much plot to talk about because it's as thin as they come (that doesn't mean it's ALL bad). Lee, a Chief Inspector, is protecting the Chinese Ambassador during his stay in Los Angeles. The ambassador has top-secret info about the ever-present Triad crime syndicate. But at a conference, attended by one, Varden Reynard (the always malevolent Max Von Sydow), the ambassador is shot down before he can divulge the top-secret information. Still pals, Lee is reunited with Detective Carter (yes, I said Detective) to solve the case. Lee & Carter vow to the consul's daughter, Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu), that he will find the man who aimed to kill her father. Yes, this is the same Soo Yung from the 1st film.
And so, Lee & Carter must pursue Triad assassin Kenji (well-played by Hiroyuki Sanada) in France. Funny enough, they get their best aid from an unsuspecting, American-hating French taxi cab driver named George (Yvan Attal). Initially loathing Americans for their violence, George soon discovers that he may like an invigorating life of gunplay & car chases. Can Lee & Carter close this case successfully? Will Soo Yung be captured? Is it possible that Varden Reynard is the villain (come on, people, you could see it comin' from a mile away)? Everything concludes in a great scene atop/in the Eiffel Tower, of course.
'Rush Hour 3' provides hit-&-miss comedy & action (most of it is miss). Roman Polanski makes a brief cameo as a French cop who assaults Lee & Carter. I found that somewhat humorous. I got a kick out of some other things; but then, I'm a biased fan of the franchise. No one can say that Chan & Tucker lack chemistry; it's the only foundation of the film. That said, none of the slapstick comedy truly resonates ... this time around. The action is fairly feeble. I don't even think Jackie Chan (age 53) was doing all of his stunts; and that's lame. I mildly enjoyed the end-credit outtakes. But even those were funnier in the previous installments. 'Rush Hour 3' comes nowhere near the campy, breezy fun that was provided in Rush Hours 1 & 2.