On Film: Rush Hour 3

Directed by Brett Ratner

Starring Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan

OK, this franchise is like a guilty pleasure for me.  Plot-wise, the first two films are crap, but they are hilarious.  The other thing that makes those films is the buddy chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.  These guys seem like they really get along outside the film and based on the closing credits bloopers in all three films they really seem to make each other laugh.

The Movie

So, in this film James Carter (Tucker) has been demoted and he and Inspector Lee (Chan) are estranged over a girl that Lee was trying to date.  Lee is back protecting the Ambassador who is speaking is hot on the heels of the global Triad network.  So, a sniper shoots the Ambassador and Lee and Carter promise the ambassador's daughter to find the killer and uncover the mystery of the Triad.  That's the gist of the thread bare plot that sends the duo on a globe trekking journey of fights and sexual innuendo. 

Based on my synopsis above you probably gather that I don't think the story is all that good and you'd be right.  That not only plays into a general weakness but it also plays into the box office weakness.  The film jsut feels like another adventure, it's not an event film, which for a summer actioner it should also be a huge adventure film, but not at the cost of a plot.  In other words, to be a good movie it should feature a solid story and to be a successful summer action film, especially being the third in a franchise, it should be an event film.

So, what's left to make this film worth watching?  Well, the same thing that made the first and second film's watchable, the chemistry between Can and Tucker, and both of their inherent abilites to be hilarious.  This film is hysterical with only a scant few slow minutes toward the end of the film.  The resolution act of any film like this is always the least interesting and least funny.  Other than that though, there's tons of great scenes and funny jokes throughout this film.  Tucker makes many ethnic jokes toward Cahn but at the same time he has no problem making similar jokes directed at himself.  This is not high brow humor at all, it's a mix of jokes based on stereotypes and pure silliness.  I think these guys could both appear at an insurance salesman conference and make the event a good time.

The bloopers in the closing credits tell the tale of why this film is worth seeing.  Can and Tucker are having a good time, and it shows through the lack of an event in the film or the lack of a clever plot.  I laughed plenty and that's what I hoped to do when I sat down in the theater.  I was saddened to see all of the wide shots of Chan in action in this film.  Chan is getting older and he just can't do the stunts like he used too.  I understand that but I remember the good ol' days when all of Chan's action sequences were shot in close-ups because he was doing the work.  I knew it couldn't last because we're all getting older.  Enough of that now, if you wanna laugh and you like Tucker and Chan then see this film.

7/10

-Stephen Lackey