Anthony's Film Review - Rush Hour 3 (2007)

The third Rush Hour movie is inferior to the first two, but still has its moments...

Rush Hour 3 continues the buddy adventures of Los Angeles police detective Carter (Chris Tucker) and Chinese Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan). Of the three Rush Hour movies, this third one is my least favorite, but I'm still giving it a slightly positive review. The reason is that there is a mix of things that I liked from the first two Rush Hour movies that are still in this third one and one negative thing that brings this movie down a notch. Allow me to explain.

The story begins in Los Angeles. While Carter is on duty as a traffic officer during rush hour traffic (and doing in a rather absurd way, which I'll get to in just a bit), Lee is escorting Ambassador Han to a conference where the ambassador makes a startling revelation. He has information about all of the top leaders of the Chinese Triad criminal organization. But just as he is ready to proceed, he is shot by a sniper. Lee chases the assassin, but ultimately cannot stop him. Not because the assassin runs away quickly, but because Lee is intrigued to learn that the killer is someone he once knew.

From there, Lee and Carter go on an adventure in Los Angeles, California, as well as Paris, France. They have to find the information about the Triad leaders that has been hidden away. The path ultimately leads them to a French woman named Genevieve, who may know something important about the Triads. On the way, the two encounters dangerous situations, giving us some good action scenes to watch. They also encounter other characters, including a Chinese woman assassin and a French cab driver who dislikes Americans.

What makes Rush Hour 3 still a decent action comedy is the action. As you would expect, the fistfights, gunfights, and other kinds of combat are choreographed well and keep our eyes glued to the screen. Given that he's rather old now, Jackie Chan isn't doing too many stunts, and if he is, they aren't among the most daring. Still, at least he is still doing some action, and fans of this martial arts superstar can still see more of what he can do.

Chris Tucker, on the other hand, continues to be a loudmouth and is definitely worse here. Some people might be already be put off by this actor in the first or second Rush Hour movies, while people like me, who are much more patient, might be OK with him in those two predecessors. But in Rush Hour 3, Tucker's character is over-the-top. He practically is a boisterous talker with almost every line of dialogue, even in situations that call for more seriousness. In fact, consider the beginning of the movie when Carter takes advantage of two women in a car who get into a car accident, by letting go of a traffic ticket if the ladies would go out with him and Lee on a date. This is before Carter uses the car in a quick chase. In real life, this cop would be fired from the department for those two things.

So when you consider the good things about this movie (Jackie Chan and action) and the one bad thing about this movie (Chris Tucker and annoying dialogue), Rush Hour 3 does not rate as highly as Rush Hour 1 and 2, but it has its moments. I think, at this point, there doesn't need to be a Rush Hour 4. Chan and Tucker have given us plenty of entertainment already as a duo, but at the same time, they should move on. All in all, Rush Hour 3 has less speed and excitement than the first two movies, but it still moves along enough to even be called a Rush Hour movie. I can only hope that the series ends right here.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Rush Hour 3, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2.