This movie was fantastic, I went into it thinking it would just be another run of the mill action movie but it’s surprisingly well made and intentional.
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have a lot of chemistry and I loved how their friendship developed throughout the movie. It didn’t feel forced like other films, it actually felt like James Carter developed from a self centered cop to someone who cares about his job and cares about saving people. I liked the scenes where James Carter and Lee bonded before entering the Chinese restaurant. James taught him how to dance and Lee taught him how to fight, it’s such a simple scene but it makes their relationship feel so much more real.
Lots of funny jokes and gags, some don’t necessarily hold up to the passage of time, but many jokes landed for me and I had a good time. My favorite joke was when James Carter gets kicked and he says “Which one of you kicked me?” The timing was great and I love how this movie doesn’t take itself seriously.
The fight scenes are incredible, it’s great seeing fast and clever fight scenes involving Jackie Chan. It reminded me of the Fanny Pack fight from EEAAO, and I can see how EEAAO was heavily influenced by Jackie Chang regarding fight scenes. Some highlights are the ending fight where Lee tries to save Chinese vases while fighting bad guys. It’s a refreshing change considering most action films stick to boring gun/fist fights. I also liked when Lee snuck onto the Consuls backyard and he wall jumped over the fence. It’s crazy how talented Jackie Chan is and how insane his stunts are. I’d really like to see more of that in future films.
Small nitpick, I felt like they forced the bomb defuser girl, Johnson, at the end. I can see how they tried to implement her but it felt like she only became important in the later half of the film. This wasn’t bad enough to ruin the film for me, just an observation I had.
Overall, an amazing film and I can’t wait to see Rush Hour 2 and 3. I went into this movie with low expectations and I was really surprised by how great it is. 9/10
