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Review: Rush Hour 2
Even though it's only the second movie in the series, Chan and Chris Tucker have already achieved a lot of the chemistry that worked so well for Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon series. Chan and Tucker don't act as well, and the plots and writing are weaker, but they're funnier, and Chan's martial arts tricks, gags and maneuvers are, as always, amazing. It was a nice touch to pair these two -- who do a non-stop series of black/Asian riffs on one another -- with Crouching Tiger's brooding and beautiful Zhang Ziyi.
This movie is neither balletic or inventive, but nobody expects it to be, and it makes no claims for itself that it doesn't fully deliver on, a rarity this summer. The movie is fast-paced and good-hearted. Tucker is a bit shrill, but he gets off a furious string of put-downs, double entendres and racial spoof lines, and plays well off of the good-natured Chan, who can kick-box 20 bad guys but can't yet say "Madison Square Garden" on the first take. The settings are neat too -- the movie skips from Hong Kong to L.A. to Las Vegas as Tucker and Chan track down one of the mysterious Hong Kong Triads - yes, they're in Lethal Weapon also -- bent on flooding the U.S. with counterfeit money.
The plot is even more ridiculous than the first Rush Hour but it doesn't matter. It's striking to see the impact Hong Kong cinema has had on American movies, from this comedy to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to The Matrix. Jackie Chan deserves a lot of the credit, bringing the genre to the attention of Hollywood studios and many moviegoers.
This is an honest Grade B comedy, playing off a few very good lines, lots of well-choreographed martial arts battles -- one goes up the side of a building under construction, another takes place in a steam bath with combatants clad only in towels. Chan and Tucker obviously have a lot of fun working together, and it comes through in the movie. There is always the sense of two cultures sparking off one another in funny ways, as Chan struggles to deal with hip-hop and Tucker mangles phrases from his Chinese-English dictionary.
Nobody will say this is a great movie, but it was plenty of fun. Chan's hilarious, self-mocking outtakes are, as always, well worth sticking around for. He brings the audience into the movie-making process in ways that are open and appreciated -- everybody in my theater stayed behind. He seems to be reminding us -- and maybe himself -- not to take things too seriously. CT Throwing in my 2 bits on this just because I can (complain all you want posters! I'm abusing my privilage!) I enjoyed the flick a lot. I walked in, and was entertained. Final Fantasy and Moulin Rouge were the last 2 movies that I can say that about. The action sequences are nothing compared to CTHD, but damnit, they're fun. Many shots are super spoofy and just really funny, but I only saw maybe one shot that looked really fake (and thats including the shots that were supposed to look fake). Tucker and Chan are terrible actors, and half of the jokes are the bland Saturday Night Live caliber comedy that I would leave the theater over, but then they hit a zinger. Dammit I laughed and had a lot of fun. Then I went home and watched Romeo Must Die to see some real action.
Having seen a lot of Chan's movies, I have to agree. Even if it's only a split-second part of a fight scene, he'd prefer to have it done the best he can do rather then even have a small bit of it be bad. Does he always get his way? Well, it depends. If he's making the movie with HK producers, yes. They realize that he knows what he is doing. If it's with Hollywood, you can practically forget it. Look at "The Big Brawl" for the first example of Hollywood screwing up Chan.
I won't say he completely ignores the plot, but it does usually take a back seat to the butt-kicking scenes. But then, I don't go to a Chan movie to see plots worthy of Shakespeare. I go to see Jackie Chan use an entire prop-room's worth of stuff against his opponents.
Kierthos
Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
People like Samo, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris and Jet Li would all acknowledge without hesitation that Bruce Lee is the father of the modern martial arts movie. Heck, Samo and Norris even got their starts in acting appearing in Bruce Lee movies. (Yes they are that old, and so is Chan)
Woopty Doo Basil, what does it all mean?!
Jackie Chan deserves a lot of the credit, bringing the genre to the attention of Hollywood studios and many moviegoers.
Along with Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, etc...
Wrong. While Lee, Norris, etc. brought in the martial arts genre, Jackie Chan single handedly invented the Comedy-Kung-Fu genre.
Most other martial artists make serious movies.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
Nobody will say this is a great movie
Bzzzt! This is a great movie.
I saw it last night, and I was thoroughly entertained. The Plot, while certainly not an Oscar contender, is well planned and executed.
There are many scenes in RH2 that are throwbacks to the first movie. The comedy is well paced, and manages to tag along with the plot very well. (I liked Chris Tucker's rendition of 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' in the karaoke bar. The massage parlor scene(s) were great too.)
Tucker and Chan aren't spectacular actors, but they're not "terrible" actors as CmdrTaco would have you believe in his *cough* 'privilage' *cough* abuse. They manage to carry the movie better than you'd expect, and deliver solid performances. Plus, the outtake scenes during the end credits are always a treat to watch. (I wish more movies would include outtakes. They're great.)
Jackie Chan's fight scenes are, as always, superbly done. I always love watching Jackie fight, because the entire sequences are so well put together. If you like to laugh, and like action, you'll like this movie.
And OH, my GOD.... Zhang Ziyi is absolutely beautiful.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
because in consumer tests 8 out of 10 geeks who expressed a preference said they loved martial arts films
Yeah, that was haliourous, "Damn, that guy isn't gonna be in Rush Hour 3"
Everyone just broke out laughing so hard.