Rush Hour 2 (2001)

Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Zhang Zi-Yi
Director: Brett Ratner

Rating: PG-13

Studio: New Line Cinema

Review Posted: 8.17.01

Spoilers: None/Minor

Rating: 3.5/4

By Greg Malmborg.

After an unusually long hiatus, Chris Tucker is back in a big way with the over-the-top, hilarious actioner Rush Hour 2.

It is quite rare in Hollywood these days for a sequel to out due the original (or to even pass as marginal entertainment), and it is even rarer for the sequel to completely exceed the original on every scale. Rush Hour 2 surpasses the original Rush Hour in each and every way. Now I’m not saying the first Rush Hour was a masterpiece (it was a just above average buddy-cop film), but if you enjoyed it the first time around, you will be blown away by the second.

Jackie Chan and Tucker have developed a wonderful chemistry and play off each other with such ease and perfect comedic timing. Chan uses his usual physical comedy to play off of Tucker’s hilarious verbal on-slaughts perfectly through out the entire film. Chan is great again as the more reserved and respectful Chief Inspector Lee. He always manages to bring so much charm to every role and this is no exception. You can’t help but always root for Jackie Chan. And he always comes up with something new and fresh to add to his amazing fight scenes. In this one, there is one long escape scene in a Las Vegas casino that will leave the audience in awe. Tucker is much more involved in the fight scenes this time around, and it is easy to see that Chan has taught him a thing or two.

As great as Chan is, it was Chris Tucker that made this movie as enjoyable as it was for me. Once he began to belt out Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, perfectly and hilariously imitating his moves in front of some seriously stunned Asians, I couldn’t stop laughing through the entire film. He never let up, and only occasionally, would a joke fall flat. And that is saying something, because he belts out two or three jokes a minute. I hope he decides to do another movie before the inevitable Rush Hour 3 hits theaters. He is as strong a comedian as they come (a welcome relief from recent Martin Lawrence movies).

The plot is definitely not the strong point of this movie, nor does it need to be. The non-stop action and the non-stop, hilarious banter between Tucker and Chan keep this film flowing fast and funny. The plot involves a bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Hong Kong and the mystery surrounding it. The film starts off in Hong Kong this time, with Tucker’s Detective James Carter as the fish out of water (which sets up many hilarious moments) and moves back to the States in Los Angeles and then Las Vegas. It ends with perfect situation to start Rush Hour 3 off. And do not miss the hilarious out-takes that follow all Jackie Chan films, these are a treat.

The supporting cast is very strong this time around.  Coming off the strongest is Don Cheadle (as always; Traffic), playing a South-Central Chinese restaurant owner with some mean martial arts moves of his own. Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is also strong, playing both menace and innocence with ease.

After a long summer of let-downs, Rush Hour 2 succeeds in every way. Rush to see it!

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