20 Years Later, Rush Hour Is Still a Buddy-Cop Gem
20 Years Later, Rush Hour Is Still a Buddy-Cop Gem << Rotten Tomatoes – Movie and TV News
In 1998, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker teamed up for an action-comedy that would stand the test of time... and help launch a certain movie review website.
Ryan Fujitani
Way back in 1998, Jackie Chan was a big star in Hong Kong and well known to martial arts aficionados around the world, while Chris Tuckerwas an up-and-coming stand-up comic who had begun to make a name for himself in an eclectic string of independent productions. The two of them were brought together for a little action-comedy called Rush Hour, which opened on September 18, 1998, and one of the most memorable buddy-cop duos ever was born.
The film centers on the retrieval of a Chinese consul’s kidnapped daughter and stars Tucker as a fast-talking LAPD detective who’s tasked with the demeaning job of keeping Chan’s Hong Kong inspector out of the FBI’s hair during the investigation. Of course, the two cops dislike each other at first, but eventually find common ground and work together to rescue the missing girl and close the case.
It’s pretty standard fare for the genre, which by then had already given us iconic pairs like Lethal Weapon‘s Riggs and Murtaugh and Beverly Hills Cop‘s Axel Foley and Billy Rosewood, and the film itself isn’t perfect — cultural stereotypes abound, and a shadow hangs over the whole production in the form of recently #MeToo-ed director Brett Ratner. So what makes it so special, and why does it hold up to the umpteenth rewatch? We’ve got some ideas.
20 Years Later, Rush Hour Is Still a Buddy-Cop Gem << Rotten Tomatoes – Movie and TV News
In 1998, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker teamed up for an action-comedy that would stand the test of time... and help launch a certain movie review website.
Ryan Fujitani
Way back in 1998, Jackie Chan was a big star in Hong Kong and well known to martial arts aficionados around the world, while Chris Tuckerwas an up-and-coming stand-up comic who had begun to make a name for himself in an eclectic string of independent productions. The two of them were brought together for a little action-comedy called Rush Hour, which opened on September 18, 1998, and one of the most memorable buddy-cop duos ever was born.
The film centers on the retrieval of a Chinese consul’s kidnapped daughter and stars Tucker as a fast-talking LAPD detective who’s tasked with the demeaning job of keeping Chan’s Hong Kong inspector out of the FBI’s hair during the investigation. Of course, the two cops dislike each other at first, but eventually find common ground and work together to rescue the missing girl and close the case.
It’s pretty standard fare for the genre, which by then had already given us iconic pairs like Lethal Weapon‘s Riggs and Murtaugh and Beverly Hills Cop‘s Axel Foley and Billy Rosewood, and the film itself isn’t perfect — cultural stereotypes abound, and a shadow hangs over the whole production in the form of recently #MeToo-ed director Brett Ratner. So what makes it so special, and why does it hold up to the umpteenth rewatch? We’ve got some ideas.
