Anthony's Film Review - Rush Hour 2 (2001)

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return in a sequel much funnier than its predecessor...

Rush Hour 2 literally continues where the first Rush Hour left off. The first movie ends with Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and Detective Carter (Chris Tucker) on a plane departing for Hong Kong, and the second movie begins with the arrival. The two buddies are singing a Beach Boys song, something that Carter originally hated doing in the first movie. It's the first sign that these two have really bonded. With that, it's time for a vacation in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, circumstances pull the two into a police case, and the movie shifts into the same hilarious action-packed high gear as the first movie. The trademarks of the two lead actors definitely shine here. Jackie Chan's rapid kicks, punches, jumps, and other maneuvers are as impressive as you'd expect. Chris Tucker is the loudmouth who spurs out a lot of funny lines, and while some might consider him too loud, I thought it made his presence a lot funnier. These two actors show no signs of getting tired of their original roles.

Meanwhile, there are two other interesting characters (ladies, to be exact). One is Roselyn Sanchez as a government agent named Isabella. She is very stunning, especially in a scene where Lee and Carter are watching her as peeping toms. The other is Zhang Ziyi as the tough fighter Hu Li. When you have the two male characters enter the screen with these women, interesting things happen in terms of both action and humor.

With these characters, you would think the plot is forgettable or something that was contrived at the last minute. It's not. I like the plot of this movie just like the plot of the first Rush Hour movie. There's a large-scale criminal plot that two characters from very different walks of life deal with. Whereas the first Rush Hour deals with a kidnapping plot, Rush Hour 2 revolves around counterfeit money. The climax of the film is definitely worth seeing, by the way.

The only thing left to mention are the outtakes. One trademark frequently seen in Jackie Chan movies are outtakes after the movie. Usually, they show how dangerous it can really be to do the stunts that Chan does. For the Rush Hour movies, the actors screw up their lines so much that it serves as an extra dose of comedy. Films with funny outtakes during the closing credits can do without the outtakes, but for some reason, the Rush Hour movies need to have funny outtakes. I'm not saying the humor in the main movie isn't funny. Rather, the movie is so funny that you can't help but want a little more once it's over.

Speaking of which, the last outtake before the credits finally roll is the funniest part of all. Chris Tucker makes an ad-libbed reference to a third Rush Hour movie. It's hilarious not only because it's so spontaneous but also because it might be a clever way to advertise yet another sequel to this cool concept for an action comedy.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Rush Hour 2, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of Rush Hour and Rush Hour 3.