Rush Hour 3 (DVD) > Reviews > Come On, Crouching Tiger! Don't Hide That Dragon!

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
Soundtrack	Average

Advantages:	Some good comedy and the reunited partnership of Lee and Carter
Disadvantages:	Could prove to be the same thing again

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When an assassin tries to kill ambassador Han just as he's about to reveal details regarding the men behind the triad's it leads to another adventure for Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker). This time the adventure will take them to Paris as they try to find out who was responsible for the attempt on Ambassador Han's life. At the same time they have to protect the French woman who revealed the details to Han's as they try and uncover the mystery. Can Carter and Lee protect themselves as well as fulfilling the promise they made to Han's teenage daughter Soo Yung.

This is the third time that Lee and Carter or Chan and Tucker to give them their proper names have teamed up and should probably be the last. I've really enjoyed the Rush Hour films over the years and while this one is quite funny I think the appeal has now worn off. The first 2 films were incredibly funny and while this one still plays on the stereotypes set up in the first two films it is perhaps the final time they could actually get away with extending this franchise any further. That said it is still a very funny movie that both adults and teenagers will be able to enjoy.

For the third time Brett Ratner has been drafted in as the director and perhaps that's why this hasn't failed completely. By keeping the original team together it seems to have helped with the film making process and with Chan and Tucker knowing how Ratner works it will have made this easier to make. I still feel though, that despite this still being relatively funny and while not quite being as effective as the first two it still works, that it should be their last collaboration. The film still looks really good and Ratner uses some really good camera angles especially during the fight scenes.

In fact it is these fight scene's that really set the Rush Hour movies apart from a lot of Chan's over comedy/martial arts films. The fight scenes are very clever and superbly choreographed. In particular the scenes at the top of the Eiffel Tower are very well done and really look the part. The plot is quite good and follows the same sort of lines as the first couple of films, where Lee and Carter are thrown together by circumstance. The plot is quite fast paced and action packed and before you know it the 90 minutes is over.

I've always liked Jackie Chan's movies and his comedies are usually quite funny. It helps to have seen the previous 2 films to build a bit of background on Lee and Carter but it isn't essential. I really like Chan in the role of Lee and he really makes the character and in my opinion the films work. Despite his advancing age he still seems to be able to move like a much younger man. His skill and martial arts ability are what really adds something different to the Rush Hour movies compared to the usual type of Buddy Cop film.

Opposite Chan is the real reason why the Rush Hour movies appeal. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan seem to have created a really good onscreen bond. It's perhaps because of this that Tucker's character Carter can get away with so many stereotypical jokes and no one really bat an eyelid at it. The partnership between them works really well and while this does seem the natural end to the series, it wouldn't surprise me to see Rush Hour 4 at some stage. The rest of the cast take a back seat to Chan and Tucker but they all put in reasonable performances that make this film work.

Overall it doesn't have the original appeal of the first film but it still has something to offer fans of the series. Of course it isn't impetrative to have seen the first two films, but it will help with the character development. It might well and should in all good sense be the last Rush Hour movie now that it seems to have run its course. I would however recommend this movie if your looking for a decent comedy that will fill the hour and a half. The only downside to buying this one though is that it won't have the same appeal to be re-watched as the previous two films.

Amazon: £13.98
Amazon Marketplace: £8.95
Morrisons: £9.99
Rush Hour trilogy: £16.98