Review of Rush Hour

Introduction

This was the film that finally broke Jackie Chan in Hollywood after years of trying. Films like Cannonball Run, Battle Creek Brawl and Rumble In The Bronx never quite managed to energise the general public, but Rush Hour succeeded in attracting the audiences, and in doing so set the template for all successive Jackie Chan films. Since then, the Kung Fu superstar is always teamed up with a Hollywood star for a bit of culture clash comedy. While he survives with his fists, his co-star would have ample opportunity to supply the wit. The results are variable, depending on the story and the co-star, whether it`s Owen Wilson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lee Evans or Steve Coogan. However it was Rush Hour that set the mould, teaming Chan with fast talking Chris Tucker.

As the British are set to leave Hong Kong and transfer control of the territory to China, Detective Inspector Lee of the Hong Kong Police force manages to crack one of the largest criminal syndicates, seizing its assets. Unfortunately the mastermind Juntao manages to escape. Soon after, Lee`s friend and mentor Consul Han is transferred to the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles. When Han`s daughter is kidnapped, the FBI takes charge of the investigation. Han insists on involving Lee in the case but the FBI agents are reluctant to have a foreign officer interfering. They call the LAPD to send an officer to baby-sit Lee and keep him away from the investigation. It isn`t an assignment worthy of LA`s finest, but the Captain has one of those maverick officers that declines to follow procedures and refuses to work with a partner, in short, a pain. Soon Detective James Carter is at the airport to meet Lee. It`s a case of instant culture clash, but soon the mismatched duo are investigating the kidnapping regardless of the FBI, and they learn that Juntao is in LA looking for revenge.

Video

Rush Hour gets a fairly impressive 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. I noticed one moment of pixellation, though as it was during the New Line logo, I wasn`t particularly perturbed. The image is sharp, clear and colourful with no hint of print damage that I could see. There is some edge enhancement though. The visuals are Jackie Chan`s domain, and there are some nicely choreographed fights, although the quick cuts are a departure from the Kung Fu comedies of old.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 or DD 2.0 English. The sound is good for the most part, adequately reproducing the action, and making for a vibrant track. The 5.1 track has a brief drop out about three minutes into the film, but this isn`t present on the Stereo track. The dialogue is clear throughout, and in the case of Chris Tucker, loud. Subtitles are provided in English, but the Mandarin dialogue isn`t translated, a regrettable oversight.

Features

Rush Hour comes with a nice collection of extras. The animated menu screens are in a 4:3 ratio.

There are 3 minute of deleted scenes, which while not bad, are hardly essential to the film. A DVD would seem bereft without a theatrical trailer, and there are seven scrolling biographies for the actors and director Brett Ratner. Incidentally, 4 of these biographies give you the option of watching brief sound-bite interviews, taken from the main featurette on this disc.

There are two music videos on this disc, `Nutting But Love` by Heavy D was directed by Ratner and features a cameo from Chris Tucker. Dru Hill`s `How Deep Is Your Love` is taken from the film itself, and its discordant tones are a repetitive theme on this disc.

Whatever Happened To Mason Reese is Brett Ratner`s student opus, it lasts 13 minutes, and to date, I am yet to watch it.

Brett Ratner also provides a commentary to the film; it`s pretty candid and gives a good background to the film. He`s interesting to listen to and speaks with clarity.

There is a 41-minute featurette on this disc that is split into 17 sections. Fortunately you can watch it in one go. It starts of as the typical EPK stuff, minus clips from the film. There are plenty of interviews with the cast and crew, and behind the scenes japery, resulting in the vaguely nauseating mutual appreciation society that these things can often descend to. It`s worth sticking with though, as a good portion of the time is spent on the fight scene in the restaurant. We get to see how Jackie Chan works with his team and the director to choreograph an action scene. If the outtakes at the end of the film aren`t enough for you, there are more outtakes at the end of this featurette.

All the extras except the trailer are presented in 4:3 regular or letterbox, and none are subtitled.

Conclusion

If you want to see Jackie Chan at his best, then Rush Hour is definitely the wrong place to start. It began that annoying Hollywood trend of always pairing him up with another actor, as if he can`t carry a movie on his own. The action is good, some of the fight scenes are well choreographed, and seeing Jackie Chan do his stuff is always entertaining. After a couple of false starts, Rush Hour was the film that broke Chan to a Western mainstream audience, but in doing so, a little something had to be sacrificed. In this case it was the inclusion of Chris Tucker, a man whose distinguishing quality is that he is loud. Whenever he speaks, I feel an instinct to reach for a volume control. Beyond that ability to scream coherently, there is little else to mark him as an actor that can carry a film. I could barely tolerate him in The Fifth Element, and I approached Rush Hour with a degree of trepidation the first time I saw it.

It seemed that my feeling would be borne out on the evidence of the first few minutes spent introducing the character of James Carter, but the film became totally transformed when Jackie Chan stepped off the plane. It`s one of those odd couple pairings that shouldn`t work, but when Chan and Tucker are on screen together, an odd sort of magic occurs and the film transcends the rather thin script, the cast and the inane story. The two have genuine chemistry and it makes Rush Hour a joy to watch. It even becomes possible to appreciate the high-pitched Tucker wit when the deadpan Jackie Chan is there for contrast.

Rush Hour is a good deal of fun, nicely packaged on this disc from EiV with a useful selection of extras. It`s light entertainment that will provide a laugh or two, and features some trademark Jackie Chan action. The only really annoying thing is another Amaray case plastered with quotes imploring you to watch a film that you have already bought.