Title: Rush Hour
Year: 1998
Director: Bret Ratner
Country: US
Language: English
Though it’s only 24 years old, Rush Hour (1998) would certainly not be a movie that could be made today. Chris Tucker gets away with far too many racial slurs mocking asian stereotypes. Heck, China would probably make Tucker (or his 2022 equivalent) an enemy of the state. Is it a worthy watch despite this? Lets find out!
Jackie Chan was already a star in the US, thanks to Rumble in the Bronx, but it wouldn’t be until Rush Hour that he became a household name. The logic in teaming up Tucker & Chan was that Tuckers’ explosive use of English would compensate for Chan’s lack thereof. The idea was a huge success as Rush Hour was a box office sensation.
At the time I enjoyed the movie, and I do find parts of still entertaining, but time has made much of the dialogue cringeworthy. In addition, having seen more Jackie Chan flicks, I feel like his action is held back. There are too many cuts & his fighting is reduced to very short spurts. Chan is best when its a long fight with very few edits.
Rush Hour shows “the best” (I suppose?) of Chris Tucker, but only provides a fraction of Chan’s true talent. Please watch his other movies (Drunken Master) for a true martial arts masterpiece.
No comments:
Post a Comment