Rush Hour
Jackie Chan, even if he hasn't actually usurped Bruce Lee's title as the fastest hands in the East, certainly doesn't mind advertising that he has. We might likewise marvel at the speed with which he's able to produce mediocre action films. Unfortunately his haste may be catching up with him, and audiences ought to hesitate before ripping on out to see his newest release, Rush Hour, opening at the Apollo on Friday.
If the avid Review reader goes back and reads the review of Lethal Weapon 4, he or she will note that there really isn't anything wrong with a good "bad action" flick. If that reader is a Jackie Chan fan, he or she will likewise find the usual cheap story lines and banal dialogue innocuous. So there's no reason to harp on those problems here.
Rather, one ought just figure out whether Jackie Chan managed to accomplish the relatively simple task that has earned him world fame: amazing stunts. And there's no love to be found. The stunts his audiences have come to expect are rather half-assed in this film. Instead he seems content to rely on his ability in a good choreographed fight. Though it's hard to find fault in a good fist, or maybe stick fight, Rush Hour holds little of the comedic Chan style, leaving the audience wishing they'd just stayed home and rented Enter the Dragon again.
Even the outtakes-those wonderful moments of comedy as the credits roll, in which the audience gets to witness all the stunts that failed, and see Jackie himself get smashed by heavy machinery, or just by the ground-left quite a bit to be desired. Instead of a bunch of failed stunts, the audience was left watching a bunch of botched lines, which they could have gotten if they'd stayed home and watched Home Improvement.
Speaking of lines, one might wonder how Jackie's sidekick for this movie, Chris Tucker, fared through the whole ordeal. Not much for stunts, Chris Tucker relied on his comedic line-deliveries. Frankly, never has anyone tried so hard to be Eddie Murphy and done so poorly. His line deliveries weren't so bad, assuming he got them right, since most of the outtakes during the credits were Tucker's fault.
Overall, if the audience isn't too offended by Jackie Chan's miserable attempts at slumming it, they'll be left disappointed by his so-so stunts and fighting sequences.
Rating: Skip the optional reading for a big lecture class.
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 9, November 13, 1998
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