Jackie Chan - Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker - James Carter
Ricky Tan - Zang Zhiyi

Any for a quick Chinese?

This time around our fast kicking comedy double act are in Japan. On vacation Tucker has decided to enjoy himself, no crime to fight, just plenty of R & R and boy is he going to make sure he gets it! However this gets unduly spoiled when our veteran ass-kicker Chan gets pulled into a case that even he cant say no to -the chance being to avenge the death of his father, also a previous servant of the Japanese police (nice twist, cheesy, but nice all the same!). Tucker however is not convinced, as obviously this will spoil his targeted aim of his vacation, that being to do as little as possible and visit the local Japanese massage parlours! Sounds like my kind of holiday LOL!

CHOP SUEY TO GO PLEASE!

Any film starring Jackie Chan is always going to include two vital elements - Martial arts mayhem, and a comic mentality. Chan does not relent on either as usual, although he has got to be pushing 50 year old now, if not more. I ain't got a clue how he does it, but he does. The fight scenes are, as is par for a Jackie Chan movie, exceptional, well choreographed, and amazing to watch. If I can move like he does when I turn 50 I will be more than a happy man indeed! It is all testament to the gruelling routine he must go through for all of his films (he does all of his own stunts by the way). He also a great talent for comic timing, an art which blends beautifully with the fast-mouthed Chris Tucker. that guy does not even appear to draw a breath even after a 10 minute monologue! This time around though he has been given a further element to his character, that of martial arts training (of sorts) to put him on more of an even keel with Chan. It's actually very comical watching trying to stay on a par with Chan, making the movie nore enjoyable than the first outing in "Rush Hour". I said earlier that there was no point in mentioning the other characters in this film for the simple reason that they really are bit-part players and nothing more. The whole film surrounds and absorbs itself around Chan and Tucker. Everything else seems to be employed on a part-time basis, with little chance of a full time contract. Can two characters alone make a film worthwhile and enjoyable? Well the answer is a resounding YES. OK, it is very much like "Lethal Weapon" in it's origin, no doubt about that but the formula works, although on a slightly different basis. Out two heroes bounce of each other better than two sumo wrestlers fighting in a bin-bag! And as with most comedy films these days the out-takes whilst the end credits are rolling are absolutely hilarious to say the least. Fast, madcap action, funny, great action scenes and stunts makes Rush Hour 2 an absolute must to watch, even if your not a fan of Jackie Chan. Much better than the first in my humble opinion. A bit expensive to watch on Sky Box Office at £3.50 perhaps, better of renting it out on Video/DVD if you've not seen it yet, but well worth the money. Enjoy!