Movie Review for Rush Hour 3 (2007)

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Review #500 of 365
Movie Review of Rush Hour 3 (2007) [PG-13] 90 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.50
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 9 August 2007
Time: 11:59 pm
DVD Release Date: 26 December 2007 (click date to purchase)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer

Soundtrack: Download now from Lalo Schifrin & Salaam Remi - Rush Hour 3 - or - order the CD below

Directed by: Brett Ratner (X-men: The Last Stand)
Written by: Jeff Nathanson (The Last Shot) based on characters by Ross LaManna

Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Chris Tucker (Rush Hour 2) • Jackie Chan (Around the World in 80 Days) • Max von Sydow (Minority Report) • Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine) • Yvan Attal (Munich) • Youki Kudoh (Memoirs of a Geisha) • Noémie Lenoir (After the Sunset) • Jingchu Zhang (Jade Warrior)

Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
When Rush Hour came out in 1998, it was an unexpected surprise. Nearly no one probably thought a buddy cop film with Jackie Chan and comedian Chris Tucker would work. The director, Brett Ratner, was relatively unheard of, and the release date (in early September) gave it stiff competition from the more Academy Award®-savvy fall film releases. All of which may have combined to make the film turn out a lot better and funnier than people had ever imagined—it grossed $33 million in its first weekend and went on to more than $141 million.
"… a very watered-down version of the stuff that made the first two films refreshing fun."
Rush Hour 2 opened with $67 million and went on to earn over $200 million. So, when Rush Hour 3 posters began to pop up announcing a 2007 third installment, it stirred wonderment. Why would the studio wait almost six years to get around to this? And, meanwhile, like a fine wine, would not the director and actors have aged to the potential of making this, by far, the best Rush Hour film yet? Unfortunately, whether due to the time delay or The Bourne Ultimatum effect—we now know more about what's possible in the cinematography of the action spy thriller—Rush Hour 3 just doesn't live up to any expectations. The jokes seem dated, the action is about as exciting as a slow pitch softball game at a 40th high school reunion, and Chris Tucker's loud, "pity me" comedy has not translated well to 2007. An aged, fine bottle of wine, therefore, this is not.

The story begins in Los Angeles where Carter is traditionally messing things up, this time directing traffic while trying to show off his cool dance moves eventually causing several car collisions. Inspector Lee has been appointed to provide local police protection to his old friend the Chinese Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma). Han has just been appointed by the World Court to be the man who tracks down the leader of the world's largest criminal organization descended from the ancient Chinese feudal crime lords and now operating world wide. An assassination attempt puts everyone in a frenzy, and Lee races after the assassin on foot. He is thwarted in cuffing the shooter who turns out to be Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada) by, of course, Carter who arrives just at the wrong moment, and Kenji escapes. Han's daughter, Soo Yung (Jingchu Zhang), all grown up now, let's them know that she has received and important package that she's to turn over to Lee should anything happen to him. Before Lee and Carter can get their hands on this package now stored in the locker of her martial arts training center, it is obtained by some nefarious and unknown shadow agent. Back at the hospital, they are confronted again by people still trying to knock off the Ambassador. This time, however, Carter and Lee collar one of the assailants and use a nun fluent in French to interrogate him. He only gives up one bit of information after a way-too-long exchange of insults between them. This bit of info leads them to believe they must travel to Paris to get to the bottom of these crimes. All they have though is a street address and a name, "Genevieve". Their bumbling nature helps them as they happen upon a club, and Carter finds Genevieve (Noémie Lenoir) quite by accident. What follows are light high jinx and cab/motorcycle chases, and a few Jackie Chan fight scenes. Everything culminates on the Eiffel Tower where Carter and Lee must battle not only to break the criminal wring, but to save Soo Young who has been brought over as a hostage.

There are some decent twists, and the final action sequence is pretty good and fun—more reminiscent of the previous movies than the rest of this film. There's just nothing that special this time around, nothing that makes this film stand out, and too much time has passed for us to have maintained any sort of loyalty to the characters such that we are dying to find out what has become of them. The net result is a very watered-down version of the stuff that made the first two films refreshing fun.

Still Photo Gallery for Rush Hour 3 (2007)

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as
Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as
Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter

Max von Sydow as Verden Reynard holds
Noémie Lenoir as Genevieve hostage

Carter and Lee with one of
Paris's most famous landmarks
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Other Projects Featuring Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Cast Members
Chris Tucker • Jackie Chan • Max von Sydow
Hiroyuki Sanada • Yvan Attal • Youki Kudoh
Noémie Lenoir • Jingchu Zhang
Director
Brett Ratner
Writer
Jeff Nathanson
CD Soundtrack
DVD
VHS
Related DVD
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Review-lite Rush Hour 3 (2007) [max of 150 words]
Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, and director Brett Ratner reunite for Rush Hour 3 with only modest success at recapturing that indescribable element that made the first two far better than anticipated. There are some decent twists, and the final action sequence is pretty good—more reminiscent of the previous movies than the rest of this film. There's just nothing that special this time around, nothing that makes this film stand out, and too much time has passed for us to have maintained any sort of loyalty to the characters such that we are dying to find out what has become of them. The net result is a very watered-down version of the stuff that made the first two films refreshing fun.
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