RUSH HOUR 2
US, 2001, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, John Lone, Ziyi Zhang, Roselyn Sanchez, Alan King, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Tsang, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, saul Rubinek.
Directed by Brett Ratner.
Now, I realise my mistake. I saw Rush Hour on a plane and it seemed just a run of the mill detective story comedy in LA, except that Jackie Chan's stunts are always exciting and worth watching and that Chris Tucker (who was so irritating in The Fifth Element) is irritating here. The ads are saying 'another rush', but I wasn't in a hurry to see this sequel. It gradually won me over. It must have been the big screen.
This time we open in Hong Kong, which really looks wonderful. The Triads are active and this is less than wonderful, especially as bombs go off in the American embassy. Chris Tucker is simply wanting a good time in Hong Kong (with some extraordinary sexist attitudes and behaviour) but Jackie gets him involved. After several entertaining set pieces of martial arts and acrobatics, they find themselves in Las Vegas for some more martial arts and acrobatics and some Tucker comedy which I found I was tolerating more. Villains include John Lone, Alan King and, on her Hollywood way after The Road Home and Crouching Tiger, Zhang Ziyi. There is a comic turn from Don Cheadle as an African American become Chinese, Jeremy Piven as a gay attendant in a clothing store, Saul Rubinek as a weary assistant in a casino. As usual, the outtakes during the final credits are worth seeing.
1. The popularity of the first film? Police buddy film? Chinese and African- American?
2. The Hong Kong settings, aspects of the city? The Los Angeles settings? Las Vegas? The musical score?
3. The popularity of Jackie Chan, his films, action, stunts, personality, comic touches? The contrast with Chris Tucker, loud, the touch of the narcissistic, preoccupied with women, as detective, intruding, ultra-extrovert?
4. Carter on holidays, interactions with Lee, looking for women, not adapting to Hong Kong culture, his poor pronunciations, flirting, with the gangsters, the woman with the chicken?
5. The basic crime plot: explosions at the American embassy, undercover agents killed, the smuggling, the American police, wanting help from Hong Kong but excluding Lee and Carter? The revelation of Ricky Tan, his past involvement with Lee, especially with Lee’s father, the attempt to bribe him, killing him? His boat, using Steve Reign, henchman, women? The laundering of the money? The other undercover agents?
6. Carter, his intrusion at the club, confronting the gangsters, at the sauna and massage, the fights? The film’s reliance on fights, Jackie Chan and continued involvement, Carter and his involvement, the style of the fights and choreography?
7. The Hong Kong officials, the local police, discovering Isabella, the undercover agent? Her presence on the boat, receiving the money, the fears that the parcel was a bomb, her saving lives, shooting, the final fight?
8. On the boat, Ricky Tan being shot? His reappearance in America? The Casino, the money, hidden in the Chinese statues? Laundering at the casino? Reign, trying to take the moulds, Tan stabbing him?
9. Hu Li, deadly, the explosions, the confrontations, violence, the final fights, with the bomb and explosion?
10. The encounter with the African- American and his absorbing everything Chinese? His help?
11. Infiltration, going to the clothing store, the gay attendant, the clothes, going to the club?
12. The diversion, Carter and his loud performance at the tables, complaints? Lee getting in, the surveillance?
13. The ultimate fights, the brawling, explosions, leaping to safety? The commendations?
14. The humour of the out-takes?
