Rush Hour 3
The “Summer of 3’s” is over. Rush hour 3 is the finale of the “3″ movies that were led into the summer by Spiderman 3 in May. This has been a good summer of movies (so far) and it has definitely been fun to see all these sequels pan out.
Rush Hour 3 brings back to action Detective James Carter and Chinese Chief Inspector Lee, portrayed by Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, respectively. Rush Hour 3 picks up several years after the previous movies. The two protagonists have been through a lot together (some good times, some bad times) and are both living in Los Angeles.
When an assassination on the Chinese Consul is attempted, it is discovered that the secret to the “Triad” gang’s existence is in (of all places) Paris. Carter and Lee make their way to France to follow up on the lead and they find themselves immediately “marked” for death by the Triad. They soon discover that the secret lies with a super-hot showgirl named Genevieve (Noémie Lenoir) who lets them in on some Ancient Chinese Secrets that will help them end the terror of the Triads.
We learn, during the course of the movie, that Lee has a “brother” named Kenji who is one of the Triad leaders. I never really figured out whether they were blood brothers or just friends who were once close like brothers - at any rate they once were very close and now…not so much. In the end, several life or death situations occur, and the secrets of the terrorist organization that has been around from the original movie are discovered and the Triads are exposed.
The movie leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but let’s face it - no one is watching this for a complicated plot. This is basically a comedy full of one-liners and stereo-types much like the other two Rush Hours. There are several really funny quips, and tons of Jackie Chan action sequences. Many of the best parts were in the trailers, so they were spoiled for most of the audience.
This movie is oftentimes intentionally hokey, but is also unintentionally hokey at times. A fan of the other two Rush Hours should like this movie, though its not the best of the franchise: it’s probably better than Rush Hour 2. Someone who doesn’t like the others will not find Rush Hour 3 to be redeeming. If you do watch it, make sure and stick around for the credits - some of the funniest moments are in the outtakes.