#142: Rush Hour
Release Date: September 18th, 1998
Format: Streaming (Netflix)
Written by: Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna
Directed by: Brett Ratner
3 Stars
Rush Hour is the type of formulaic, action-comedy genre flick that was booming in mid-to-late ‘90s Hollywood. Some were good, some were bad, most were okay. They usually have enough explosions and big set pieces to keep you interested.
So why is Rush Hour considered a comedy classic by its biggest fans? It might be that director Brett Ratner came from the rap music video-to-feature film career path, and he thus has a real talent for marrying visuals with music and sound. With this ability he’s able to imbue a certain energy into his films. They move fast, they hit their beats, and they give the intended audience what they want.
The year prior, Ratner worked with Chris Tucker in his film debut Money Talks, and he brings Tucker along for Rush Hour. They’re a good team. Ratner seems to give him a green light in every scene, and Tucker doesn’t waste his opportunity.
His performance is big and it is loud.
His character, LAPD Detective James Carter, is a young black man in a position of power and he wants to make sure you know it. His colleagues don’t like him, though, and it’s pretty clear why: he’s unprofessional, impulsive, and annoying. But he’s mostly harmless.
In real life, would this person ever be a police officer, let alone attain the rank of detective? Of course not. But this is supposed to be a fun popcorn flick, so I made the decision to tell myself that Tucker’s Det. Carter is a fun popcorn character (but is he? Det. Carter is, at different points in the film, sexist, racist, and corrupt, if we’re being honest).
As for Jackie Chan, I had lots of thoughts. Most had to do with how underutilized he is. I wrote in my review of Police Story (1985) that watching Jackie Chan in his American movies is like watching Michael Jordan shooting free throws. Sure, he’s good, but this isn’t where his genius lies.
Leave it to Hollywood producers to think they know how to make a big, funny action comedy better than probably the greatest filmmaker in the genre ever. How much better would Rush Hour be if they gave Jackie the $35 million to make it as director? It’s fun to think about.
