Rush Hour 3

Review by Toby Hillard

Let's get this out of the way from the very beginning:

There is nothing in the world that will ever make me enjoy anything that Chris Tucker does. To me, he is an overpaid - less talented - and more annoying version of Chris Rock. Say what you like Rock fans - but the man is a douche. So it's with hesitation that I entered the screening of Rush Hour 3.

I could well be the only person in the Western world who is yet to view even one installment of the multi-million dollar grossing Rush Hour franchise (the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker vehicle which at no point tries to hide the fact it's a watered down version of Lethal Weapon), and I really don't think I've been missing out on much.

After a six year hiatus, cop James Carter (Chris Tucker) once again reunites with Chinese Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) to both taunt and battle bad guys. It's a pretty simple line of thinking really - the first movie was on Carter's homeland, and the second was set in Lee's turf, meaning this outing finds both of the mismatched couple out of their element in Paris. Of course, they spent some time dealing with criminals - but let's face it - it's just an excuse  to make fun of the quirky French culture.

Now I love a good popcorn flick as much as the next man. There's nothing better than switching your brain off at the door and being entertained by some clever one liners and some cool martial arts moves. And for the most part, Rush Hour 3 delivers on that front - let's face it, we know Ratner was never going into this to create a groundbreaking piece of cinema (it's simply a way to finance his next house, and the copious amounts of cocaine he would be snorting).

But at a cost of $180 Million (that's right, that's the budget)? Hmmm, much like the audiences of Evan Almighty (which cost a reported $200 Million) - you kind of get the feeling that you're not exactly getting the bang for your buck. There seems to have been a bit of skimming off the top (I'm looking at you Chris "I'm not getting out of bed for under $25 Million" Tucker).

Now, this all sounds a bit harsh. Rush Hour 3 is not all that bad. There are some humerous moments (most of which are shown in the trailer) and the action sequences are pretty cool (at least Ratner knows how to get that right) in particular a fight scene on the Eiffel Tower (amazingly, the scene was actually shot there). My major gripe is with the excess of Hollywood, because there is no reason for this flick to have been made (heck, Tucker has been quite vocal that he didn't really want to do it - and it shows, the man is on auto pilot).

It's cheap, disposable entertainment that will most likely keep the teeny boppers and simpletons distracted for 90 minutes - but if you're that desperate for something to waste your time, just go home and watch the far superior prequels.

2 out of 5

The Reaping
Australian release: 27th September, 2007
Cast: Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yvan Attal
Director: Brett Ratner
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