Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 **

Directed by Brett Ratner
Written by Jeff Nathanson. based on characters created by Ross LaManna

Starring:
Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
Max von Sydow as Varden Reynard
Noémie Lenoir as Genevieve
Hiroyuki Sanada as Kenji
Tzi Ma as Consul Han
Roman Polanski as Detective Revi

90 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language. )
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"Rush Hour 3" is the next to last sequel in this really really packed summer full of them, and it will probably be the most pleasing to those that like the "Rush Hour" movies. It is just more of the same, and that could either be a good or a bad thing, depending on what kind of humor you like. I laughed a couple of times during the film, but was mostly interested in the action sequences, all because Jackie Chan still manages to wow an audience even in his fifties. While the stunts may not be as jaw dropping as stunts in his previous films, its understandable-he's getting older-and its a shocker that he could still do what he does.

'Rush Hour 3" has the mismatched pair James Carter and Inspector Lee joining forces once again after the Chinese Ambassador Han is shot after knowing details on a mysterious Chinese triad. His daughter asks Lee and Carter to promise her that they will find the one who is responsible, and they agree. They find out that there is information that they could use in Paris, and head over there to find the killer. It's a very simple and minimal plot, but movies like this do not require a plot to get people to go see it. It requires

1) racial stereotyped humor-mostly about Asians and African Americans, but since this takes place in Paris they decide to take on the French as well. Although I will admit there is so funny stuff about Americans and their obsession with violence
2) action sequences that do not really require a plausible description-although I will admit again that there is a pretty neat action sequence during the last fifteen minutes or so, although there is another stunt involving a large flag, something that also happened in Chan's "Shanghai Knights."
3) women in tight outfits for Chris Tucker to make whining comments about
and
4) a buddy cop element-and Carter and Lee certainly as stuck in a formula buddy cop world.

But in the end, while "Rush Hour 3" may only have one or two funny moments for people like me, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments for the people this movie was made for-"Rush Hour" fans. I got more laughs out of the first film than I did from the second and third combined, but this is enjoyable to a certainly extent. Those that enjoy "Rush Hour" films will be pleased, and those who enjoy Jackie Chan, he certainly is as fun in this as he always has been.

There are a couple of odd cameos as well. First there is Max von Sydow-famous for Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece "The Seventh Seal"-as the Minister of France. The plot twist involving his character is so obvious that I'm not even worry about spoiling it, and Chris Tucker even makes a comment about how obvious it was towards the end. And then there is famous director Roman Polanski in the most useless role in the whole film. When Carter and Lee arrive in Paris he searches them and puts a glove on. The next scene Carter and Lee are walking funny. Gee, I wonder what happened to them. And then he pops up at the end to get sucker punched by Carter and Lee. Looking back, Polanski's role is in the films trailer, but in the mind I still can't understand why he would agree to do the film, or why they would ask him to do it in the first place.

"Rush Hour 3" is not really unbearable but it's not good. It's more of the same. More of the same racist jokes. More of the same Chris Tucker one liners that are either hit or miss, but mostly miss. More of the same action. More of the secondhand and pointless plot. But there is a group out there that the more of the same concept will go over their heads, and they will get the enjoyment out of this that I could not. So I liked the film as much as I could, but it wasn't for me. But it wasn't horrible.

One more sequel left, and that is "Mr. Bean's Holiday" and then the endless summer is really just about over.

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