Rush Hour 3

What in the world happened to Chris Tucker? After “Rush Hour 2,” he was nowhere to be seen for at least six years. Was it because people ranted and raved about a Chinese martial artist and a black comedian in a buddy cop movie? Listen here people, like I had stated in my “Lethal Weapon” review, Danny Glover said that the racial fear of people complaining about a black and white buddy cop duo never goes away. Come on now, if Danny Glover and Mel Gibson can work together as a buddy cop duo, as well as any other duo that has one white actor and one black actor, then why can’t an Asian man and a black man? The thing about buddy cops that make them partners is they are both polar opposites and learn to work with one another as the film goes on. And if that is successful enough, then guarantee a sequel or two or more.

Or was it because “Rush Hour 2” wasn’t very well received? I don’t see why that would bother him because a lot of people liked the movie and thought it was funnier than the first one. That’s what I thought. It expanded the story, Lee and Carter learned to grow as partners, and we learn more about the characters. Plus, the action was really good and the comedic timing from both of them was great. Maybe Tucker wasn't getting that many good roles, hence why we hadn't seen him for a while.

Anyway, after six years of not seeing Chris Tucker anywhere, he finally reappears on screen in 2007 in “Rush Hour 3.” When I first saw the trailer to this, I was thinking, “Seriously? They made a third one?” I first didn’t think there was any reason and thought that was just a joke when in one of the “Rush Hour 2” bloopers when John Lone fell onto the cab, Tucker said, “He ain’t going to be in ‘Rush Hour 3’.” Turns out they made it, but I didn’t see this until I got it from the local library.

“Rush Hour 3” was officially announced on May 7, 2006, and they started to film it on Independence Day of that year. It grossed about $258,022,233 worldwide. There are even a couple of familiar faces in this one. Tzi Ma is back as Ambassador Han and Zhang Jingchu plays an adult Soo Yung. Even Roselyn Sanchez shows up as Isabella in one of the deleted scenes and Phillip Baker Hall reprises his role as Captain Diel, but both of them were uncredited. Director Roman Polanski is in this film as Detective Revi, a French policeman who was involved in the case Lee and Carter are assigned to in this film. Yes, this film takes place first in Los Angeles and then it goes to Paris, France.

Even though this film was rated PG-13 here, it was rated M in Australia and did not even appear in theaters in China so that a larger amount of foreign films could screen. This has been told by a business representative. Either that or China did not like the fact that Jackie Chan was starring in a movie with Tucker. What do the Chinese have against blacks, are they racist?

Jeff Nathanson wrote the script, who is described as a combination of Francis Ford Coppola and Alfred Hitchcock. According to Carrie Rickey of the Inquirer Movie Critic, “Nathanson's best invention: a cabbie (Yvan Attal) who denounces America and its love of car chases, guns and violence. And who, after a few minutes in Carter and Lee's vehicle-chasing, gunplaying, butt-kicking company, is ready to apply for U.S. citizenship.”

Brett Ratner had hired J. Michael Muro as cinematographer and he had done a poor job of trying to join Muro’s radiant images with special effects. Try to imagine Muro building a great storyboard design then Ratner decides to rip it to shreds.

Unlike in “Rush Hour 2” where we saw two strong women, here they are used as eye-candy. Jingchu is a very attractive actress, but doesn’t really do much in the film. Noemie Lenoir plays Genevieve, who is basically like a model that is seen scantily-clad and has a secret. Youki Kudoh plays Jasmine the Dragon Lady who may look good but will turn around and act like Zhang Ziyi from “Rush Hour 2.”

The villain in this film is Kenji, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, who turns out to be Lee’s long lost brother. Now that is a sudden dark turn. He falls off the Eiffel Tower when a safety rope snaps. After realizing that he and Lee cannot survive, Kenji tells Lee to let him go.

If you’re wondering if the comedy in this film is there, it is. Chan can easily put a kung-fu whopping on anyone while Tucker talks his way out of situations, but also ends up doing some funny fight choreography as well. The part where the French Chinese man is being interrogated by Lee and Carter and Lee tells Carter that he’s speaking French, Carter slaps the Chinese man and says, “You Asian man, stop humiliating yourself.” When they get the nun, Sister Agnes, played by Dana Ivey, to translate for them, it’s a scene that gets funny one line after another. Especially with them using the first letter of a swear word just so they don’t curse in front of a nun, or they will go to Satan's home. Or how about when Lee and Carter go to the Dojo, Carter is asking people their names and it turns into a tribute to the famous Abbot and Costello's sketch, "Who's on first?" In my opinion, this film is the funniest of the three.

Since this is a buddy movie, Lee and Carter insult each other; give each other diet advice and jokes, while still being there for one another. Chan does not fail to impress with his own kung-fu stunts while Tucker tries to do some kung-fu, but does a fighting style of his own. That’s what makes the action in this movie so funny. Check this one out if you haven’t seen it yet, you are definitely missing out on some nice comedy in this one.

I have been hearing rumors of a “Rush Hour 4,” which would be great. Series producer Arthur Sarkissian said that they are working on a fourth film with Chan and Tucker signed on, and also admitted to bring back Brett Ratner if he will “do it the right way.” Sarkissian said he did not like the third movie and that he wants the fourth one to be grittier and have new ideas. Also he is looking at “four or five” screenwriters to choose from and work on the script.

Thank you for joining in on my review of the “Rush Hour trilogy.” I hope you liked them, stay tuned to what I will review before the month closes out. Speaking of which, I should start thinking about that before next week.