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Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in RUSH HOUR 3 (2007).
© New Line Cinema

Mania Grade: C-
Maniac Grade: B+
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max Von Sydow, Yves Attal, Noemie Lenoir, Jingchu Zhang
Writer: Jeff Nathanson, based on characters created by Ross LaManna
Director: Brett Ratner
Distributor: New Line Cinema

RUSH HOUR 3

By: Rachel Reitsleff
Review Date: Friday, August 10, 2007

Anything is possible. Director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson (working from characters created by Ross LaManna) may both have cared passionately about this third film in the Rush Hour series; one would certainly hope so in Ratner’s case, as he’s been on board for all installments. However, in scene after scene here, it looks as though a lot of creative decisions were made on the basis on the assumption that the audience won’t care about any number of details, which in turn suggests that the filmmakers didn’t much care either.

For those who need a refresher, Jackie Chan plays Detective Lee of the Hong Kong police and Chris Tucker plays Detective Carter of the LAPD (on punishment duty with the traffic department as RUSH HOUR 3 opens). Lee is by-the-book, honor-bound and has great martial arts prowess; Carter is a sometimes inept maverick, guided by lust, anger and pride as often (if not more) than his better policing instincts, yet he comes through in the crunch. Carter and Lee team up once again when an assassination attempt against the politician Lee is guarding points to members of Chinese Triad gangs, who seem to be keeping a key secret in Paris.

Why are Chinese gangs hanging out in France? Apparently because the filmmakers wanted to shoot there. Why is the Triad headed up by a Japanese gangster called Kenji? There’s an elaborate plot explanation, but the simpler answer seems to be that the filmmakers wanted to work with actor Hiroyuki Sanada. Why does Lee enter a dangerous situation singing in a vulnerable position when he could have more easily and more in character come in surreptitiously? Evidently the filmmakers thought it would be funny and wanted to give Chan a chance to show off his singing voice.

Now, all of these are understandable sentiments – Paris looks beautiful here, Sanada is a fine actor and it’s fun to hear Chan sing – but the cumulative effect of these and other odd choices is to make RUSH HOUR 3 feel as though it’s been thrown together, with just enough narrative glue to hang together all the pieces the filmmakers think might be funny. However, even buddy action comedies need some context, or the character material rings false. Carter is presented as such a caricature here that we can’t believe in him long enough to be very concerned about his bond with Lee, though Chan does have some enjoyable moments of comic action.

There are bigger problems as well – in the finale, one major character is either lost altogether or handled so peremptorily that there’s no sense of closure. We can spot the big bad from a long way off and the maguffin the guys are chasing is not only very complicated but makes very little sense.

There are some pleasures to be had here. Chan fans will be rewarded with some trademark slapstick, Paris looks ravishing, there are some inventive stunts and Yves Attal as a Parisian cabbie has some scenes of unexpectedly potent humor (for those who wonder about such things, that’s why the film merits a C- instead of something lower). Still, RUSH HOUR 3 as a movie experience is more gridlock than easy ride.

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Catch the Rush Hour

by muchdrama
Grade: B+

Okay, just got back from the cinema, where I caught a late showing of "Rush Hour 3"...

Comments/Responses

gauleyboy420 • Aug 10, 2007, 12:53am •

Score another winner for Ratner. Lets see, the similarities between this paycheck...uh I mean film, and The atrocity he calls X3.
Thrown together ? check
Barely enough story to string it along? check
Major problems with an anti climatic ... uh climax? check
Problems with closure of the film? check
Looks very visually pleasing? check
Well ther you have it friends and neighbors, from the man that ruined X3 (supposedly because he was "thrown into it at the last minute")

jamesdalton • Aug 10, 2007, 01:30am •

This doesn't surprise me.

Ratner's a hack, but at least he's not Rob Cohen or Michael Bay.

And when did it become trendy to hate on X3? Sure, it wasn't as good of a "film" as the first two. BUT, it had something the first two were severely lacking... and that's the X-Men in action.

It didn't suck, by any means.

What's the matter? People get tired of hearing you bitch about the Matrix Sequels and Phantom Menace?

Muldfeld • Aug 10, 2007, 01:41am •

I've never wanted to see any of the Rush Hour movies, based on the annoying few minutes I've seen, but my sense is that they are mostly comedies, right? So, plot doesn't matter as much. I hated what Ratner did to the X-Men franchise. Until then, it was the best superhero franchise next to Nolan's Batman. I thought Red Dragon was really good, but it must have been due to the writers involved because Ratner absolutely ruined X 3 by overloading it with superficial characters and making up superpowers. Even the dialogue was awful and the melodrama was too much; that scene between Logan and Jean Grey at the end was so cliche and not moving at all, nor were any of the 3 deaths; I felt absolutely nothing. Ratner is a hack who needs intense supervision. That'll teach Fox! Or maybe because it made them money, it didn't....

Still, I will agree Michael Bay is probably a bigger moron because Transformers' action was unenjoyable and Red Dragon beats anything Bay will ever do!

sportwarrior • Aug 10, 2007, 04:59am •

Funny... We have two reviews on Cinescape today... One of Rush Hour 3, one of Stardust. One of Brett Ratner, and one of Matthew Vaughn. One a very poor C-, and the other a very positive B+

Matthew Vaughn was originally going to direct X3, but opted not to. Instead we got Ratner, who proceeded to somehow take an amazing series and turn it into a steaming pile.

Oh, what could have been...

On an additional note, I guess we'll see Vaughn's "Marvel Mettle" with Thor... interesting.

vaporman • Aug 10, 2007, 07:47am •

I'm sorry but anyone who says "Transformers' action was unenjoyable" needs to be checked for a pulse.

galaga51 • Aug 10, 2007, 07:47am •

JD... I wouldn't call it "trendy" to hate on X3... But (from what I've noticed) there are several regulars here who either disliked, hated, or loathed X3. Not all of us automatically blame Ratner for it, but it doesn't seem he helped it much either. Speaking of Brett....

On the radio this morning, they were talking about a report of Brett Ratner being "serviced" by a girl... that wasn't actually a girl. And his response was on the lines of - it happens to guys all the time. Ummm... really?!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled genre news... ;-p

myklspader • Aug 10, 2007, 08:03am •

Red Dragon was good? What movie were you watching Muld? While a bit dated and the ending is changed a bit, Manhunter is the ONLY true Dragon. Ratner's Dragon was so bad, I read the book when I was 10, knew what was going to happen and still wanted some suspense which Tally and Ratner couldn't deliver.
Ratner, yes is a hack pure and simple. Ruined X3 not cause of too many characters or poor plot or anything like that. He is a hack, can't handle simple basic principles a director needs to make a movie. He is one of many so sorry to say operating a camera now a days. Could I do better? Probably, but I am getting off topic a bit.

Bottom line, Red Dragon sucked.
Ratner sucks.
And odds are Rush Hour 3 sucks. I am taking an educated guess based off of the trailer I saw and how it didn't look funny at all.

safetyguy27 • Aug 10, 2007, 11:53am •

Considering x-3 was already written and Ratner was brought on right before filming, I am not gonna blame him for it. The writers should have taken more time to come up with a better way to end this trilogy. Too much was crammed in there to take in. Ratner is not the first director to come on board a movie that was badly written. He did his best with what he had. Give the man a break. too many people complaining about this, move on to something else already!

Davewriter • Aug 10, 2007, 01:44pm •

Having spent a vacation in France - with my Chinese wife - I was amazed at the size of the Chinese community there.
Including gangs.

smegforbrain • Aug 10, 2007, 02:06pm •

I recall seeing a trailer for this one, and, to my surprise at the time, it looked like this one could actually be funny. But it doesn't surprise me that in the end it's not worth the price of admission.

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