Rush Hour 3 is Recycled Too Much to Be Worth the Price of Admission - Movie Review of Rush Hour 3

Directed by Brett Ratner (X-Men 3: The Last Stand)
Written by Jeff Nathanson

Starring Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon) and Chris Tucker (The Fifth Element), Rush Hour 3 feels too much like the first and second movies to be considered an original. It's basically a rehash of everything we've seen before.

What is Rush Hour 3 about?

The third installment in the Rush Hour series is about two policemen, Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter trying to solve the shooting of Ambassador Han played by Tzi Ma (The Ladykillers).

Lee finds himself facing Kenji, his own godbrother. This would-be assassin is elusive and handy with a gun.

Carter is now a traffic cop. His careless methods cause a few car crashes.

Carter and Lee track down Kenji in Paris, and take flight to pursue. They discover several things linked to the case. Kenji is associated and perhaps even the leader of the Triads. There's more to the French Ambassador played by Max von Sydow (Minority Report, The Exorcist) than meets the eye. The list of all the leaders of the Triads is written on the back of a beautiful bald, young model, Genevieve's head.

What's new in this 3rd film? With the exception of Carter's new martial arts abilities, not much has changed since Rush Hour 2. Carter and Lee still sing. Lee and Carter are still fighting over their friendship, and all of the mistakes of their past. Carter and Lee are still trying to understand different dialects and cultures.

Why am I not recommending Rush Hour 3?

Take a look at the story. If you've seen the first and second film, you'll know that this isn't much different from Rush Hour or Rush Hour 2. Either Lee or Carter or both wise-cracking policemen go to a different country. Jackie Chan applies his patented stunts, acrobatics and butt-kicking style. Oh, wait, Carter now knows how to do some "kung-fu fighting". Seeing Tucker sing in his high-pitched voice, dance with no style, and kick butt in an amateurish kind of a way is a little too much for the senses. But, that's not the real complaint here. The problem is in the writing and development of this recycled tale.

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