Jackie Chan meets ebonics in Rush Hour

by Nancy Natividad
of the Arrow

How could anyone not enjoy the humor  in a little Chinese man dancing to Puff Daddy or talk about his “hood” back in Hong Kong? Martial arts and slapstick humor mix together to create the new release, Rush Hour.

The story starts out in Hong Kong with Chinese hero Lee ­ not Bruce or Brandon,  just Lee (Chan), who retrieves a priceless collection of 5000­year­old Chinese artifacts. L.A.P.D. officer Carter (actor Chris Tucker) is introduced after an explosion caused by Carter in downtown Los Angeles destroys millions of dollars worth of the city. He follows the path of destruction with a dance to a Michael Jackson song because the bad guy didn’t get away.

Lee and Carter are teamed up when the Chinese consul’s daughter is kidnapped and Carter’s assignment is to keep Lee away from the investigation. Initially Lee and Carter’s forced partnership is full of misunderstandings caused by Carter’s cocky attitude, his effort to make Lee follow his lingo, his lack of teamwork as well as failure to think before doing anything.
Their relationship improves through the course of the movie and they work as a team by the end.

The movie emits an unsatisfactory air when the viewer finds out the proposed bad guy is really just a dumb FBI­agent­in­charge and the cause for Carter’s assignment — to keep Lee away from the case — has no real purpose. When the real villain is revealed, the entire plot becomes a loose ensemble of improbable occurences.

The special martial arts effects done by Lee are quite entertaining. He walks up walls, fights dozens of men at a time and escapes death by minuscule measurements of time and distance. The movie also has seeming moments with the humor created by the clash of cultures, but those moments are sparse and don’t last long enough to make up for the pweak lot.
 I could wait for this movie to come out on video. The loose plot is typical, with a bad guy kidnapping a political figure’s daughter. The underdog team composed of Lee and Carter are, of course, the ones who save the day and the daughter.

If you’re not a die-hard Jackie Chan fan, wait for the video release. If you just can’t wait to see his new movie or don’t have anything better to do, then why not? Big explosions, guns firing and men breaking pool sticks with their bare hands are always more entertaining than nothing.