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RUSH
HOUR 2
Despite the differences that
exist between the individuals and the cultures there is still the
possibility of a lasting friendship. The film also shows in numerous
ways how following the wrong advice for the wrong reasons can get
you into all kinds of trouble.
REVIEW
BY MIKE FURCHES
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 Directed
by Brett Ratner
Written by Jeff Nathanson
Characters by Ross LaManna
Jackie
Chan .... Detective Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker .... Det. James Carter, LAPD
Chris Penn .... Clive
John Lone .... Ricky Tan
Ziyi Zhang .... Hu Li
Alan King .... Steven Reign
Produced
by Roger Birnbaum (producer), Andrew Z. Davis (executive producer),
Jonathan Glickman (producer), Arthur M. Sarkissian (producer), Jay
Stern (producer)
Original music by Memphis Bleek, Foxy Brown, DMX, Ronald De Voe,
Snoop Doggy Dogg, Macy Gray, Jay-Z, Method Man, Nelly, Doc Pomus,
Redman, Ja Rule, Lalo Schifrin, Sisqo
Cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti
Film Editing by Mark Helfrich
Rated
PG-13 for action violence, language and some sexual material.
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Rush Hour 2 [Clean Version]
Various Artists - Soundtracks - 2001
1.
Area Codes - Ludacris 2. Mine, Mine, Mine - Montell Jordan 3. Party...
- Method Man/T.R. 4. No - Kandice Love 5. He's Back - Keith Murray
6. Love Again - Jazz 7. Keep It Real (Tell Me) - Musiq/Redman 8.
Crazy Girl - LL Cool J 9. How It's Gonna Be - Lovher 10. Paper Trippin'
- WC 11. You Make Me Laugh - Christina Milian 12. Mercedes Benz
- Say Yes 13. Blow My Whistle - Hikaru Utada 14. Figadoh - Benzino
15. I'm Sorry - 3rd Storee 16. Brollic - Ft (F** That) 17. The World
Is Yours - Macy Gray/Slick Rick
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Get
Ready For Another Rush Hour!
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STUDIO
SYNOPSIS:
 Rush
Hour 2 begins with Chief Inspector Lee of the Royal Hong Kong Police
(JACKIE CHAN) and LAPD detective James Carter (CHRIS TUCKER) arriving
in Hong Kong for a vacation. Armed with his Chinese-English dictionary,
Carter is looking forward to a much-needed vacation and to sampling
some of the city?s many exotic delights. But Lee, the ever-dedicated
policeman, continues with his duties, frustrating Carter.
No
sooner do they arrive, then they are confronted with the biggest
case of their careers ? a bomb has exploded in the American Embassy,
killing two U.S. Customs agents who had been investigating a money
smuggling ring that is producing and shipping millions in "superbills,"
high-grade counterfeit U.S. $100 bills.
The
Hong Kong police suspect the chief architect behind the blast is
Ricky Tan (JOHN LONE), the elegant and cunning head of the Fu-Cang-Long
Triad, the deadliest gang in China. Inspector Lee is assigned to
crack the case, much to the chagrin of Carter, who is caught up
in the events against his will and feels his vacation plans slipping
away. For Lee the case is personal ? Ricky Tan was once his father?s
partner on the Hong Kong police force and played a direct role in
his father?s death.
 With
the Hong Kong and U.S. authorities fighting over jurisdiction of
the case, Lee and a reluctant Carter set off on their own to track
down Tan. But this time it?s Detective Carter who is the fish-out-of-water,
and Lee now has the opportunity to teach him some lessons on his
home turf (as Lee tells Carter in his not-so-perfect English, "in
Hong Kong, I am Michael Jackson, you are Toto"). But in his own
inimitable way, the fast-talking Carter has a few things to teach
the locals as well!
As
Lee and Carter lead a fast-paced pursuit of Ricky Tan and his gang,
trying to locate the priceless plates used to print the counterfeit
bills, they wreak havoc through a variety of Hong Kong locales,
including a karaoke bar -- where Carter teaches the gangster clientele
how to sing the definitive version of the classic "Don?t Stop ?Till
You Get Enough" -- the Heaven on Earth massage parlor and a party
on Tan?s yacht cruising the waters of scenic Victoria harbor.
Along
the way they must contend with Tan?s beautiful and deadly henchwoman
Hu Li (ZHANG ZIYI, who captivated audiences with her role as Jen
Yu in the Academy Award-winning epic, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon),
billionaire hotel owner and key Ricky Tan associate Steven Reign
(legendary actor/comedian ALAN KING) and the alluring, mysterious
and seemingly corrupt U.S. secret service agent Isabella Molina
(ROSELYN SANCHEZ).
The
action returns Stateside for a brief detour through Los Angeles
before climaxing in a spectacular, action-filled finale at the opening
night of the Red Dragon Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
? 2001 New Line Cinema
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 Review
by
MIKE FURCHES
mike@furches.org
Web site www.furches.org
Mike is the Senior Pastor at United at the Cross Community Church
in Wichita Kansas. United at the Cross is a church made up of
individuals not often accepted in other churches. The church consists
of former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others.
Mike also speaks nationally on various topics and is a freelance
writer. To learn more about Mike and his ministry link onto www.furches.org.
In the arts Mike has worked with top music artists such as Steppenwolf,
Marshall Tucker Band, Kansas and has an active interest in film.
Mike is pictured with his music band "Route 66."
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 Before
I start this particular review, understand that I really enjoyed the
first Rush Hour movie and really liked the teaming of Chris Tucker
and Jackie Chan. I am a big Jackie Chan fan and really enjoyed the
chemistry between the two in the first film. I have appreciated many
of Jackie Chan's recent films over the last 6 years due in large part
to the support of family, good guy Vs. bad guy themes, and the positive
role model he has played for children. There are a lot of reasons
Jackie Chan is the world's most popular actor, his characters, good
writing, and his stunts are partially responsible for that. |
 Rush
Hour 2 has Inspector Lee, played by Jackie Chan and Det. James Carter,
played by Chris Tucker in Hong Kong. This is a reversal from the first
film, which found Inspector Lee in Los Angeles on Detective Carter's
"turf." While there are some fun scenes in which we see
Detective Carter trying to adapt to Hong Kong, the chemistry between
the two that existed in the first film always seems to fall just short.
Even after they travel back to the United States and end up in Las
Vegas, the story line does not improve and both characters still seem
out of place. |
 Rush
Hour 2 is about a number of things but the bottom line, I believe,
is the chemistry that exists between two separate individuals, from
two separate cultures. Despite the differences that exist between
the individuals and the cultures there is still the possibility of
a lasting friendship. The film also shows in numerous ways how following
the wrong advice for the wrong reasons can get you into all kinds
of trouble. Throughout the film both characters find themselves in
situations that could have been avoided if they had made more of an
effort not only to get to know each other, but also to have ultimately
respected each other and the knowledge the other possessed. Throughout
the film we see and hope that real friendship is more than what is
offered here. While they show some concern for each other, seldom
do we see a compassion that offers unconditional love, acceptance
or belief. |
 Rush
Hour 2 is a retelling of some of the concepts included in The Fiddler
on the Roof. (Bet you never thought you would hear that comparison.)
In many ways individuals get so caught up in their culture and traditions
that they refuse to see the power of real love and respect for each
other. >From that perspective, and with that thought Rush Hour
2 is worth seeing. This is a concept that goes back to the days of
The Odd Couple, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and even beyond. Rush
Hour 2, like all of this type of film, plays on the humor to some
extent while at the same time addressing real social issues of acceptance. |
 Despite
the aspects of the first Rush Hour concept that was so promising,
and despite the fact that Tucker and Chan are generally fun to watch
together on screen, I was very disappointed in this film. Including
many of the old Jackie Chan flicks filmed entirely for the Asian audience,
this movie had the fewest action sequences and lost a great deal of
the wonderful dialog that has existed in other Jackie Chan movies
I have seen, by the way over 20. Some of the fun from past Jackie
Chan films is in seeing his characters, who at times resemble Charlie
Chaplains awkward grace, defeat his attackers with awesome and humorous
forms of martial arts.  Unfortunately
we see little of that here. As a result, Jackie gives the audience
little to root for or relate to, since the numerous and unbelievable
stunts that are a Jackie Chan trademark are all but non-existent.
The understanding here is that the American movie company wanted to
save on cost and thus reduced the number of stunts to save on insurance
costs. Jackie Chan has been outspoken in his opposition to this. Unfortunately
with Rush Hour 2 having the largest box office opening ever for a
comedy, the producers and movie company have already made their money
back and won't learn any lessons from this mistake. I only hope that
the producers and director won't make the same mistake for the sequel
of Shanghai Noon currently being made. |
 Chris
Tucker continues to be funny when not allowed to over act but the
location with the best humor, the karaoke bar, has some of the shortest
and least developed scenes in the film. There are other scenes that
are way overdone. His scene at the craps table in the casino take
away from the character and tend to make him obnoxious.  I
don't know who is responsible for this aspect of the film, Tucker,
or the director Brett Ratner, but the bottom line is that it detracts
from the film and gets beyond the point of being funny to the point
of being obnoxious. The theater I saw the film in was sold-out and
it was surprising at the silence that filled the theater during many
of the comedy scenes with Tucker. Simply put, he just was not funny,
and this is not a good formula for a movie billed as an action-comedy. |
 Relationships
and acceptance of others from various cultures are both deserving
themes within this or any movie. While Rush Hour 2 attempts to address
some of those themes I left the theater feeling disappointed. I have
expected more from Jackie Chan over the years and this time I was
let down. That does not mean I will lose respect for him. He has a
pretty good track record as far as I am concerned and I have the hope
and belief that he will bounce back. Would I see a third Rush Hour?
The answer is probably yes, but I would definitely wait and view the
film first before seeing taking my son to see it, or I might just
wait for the discount movie houses or video, especially if the same
direction was involved. |
On a scale of 1 - 10
the film falls just off the air mattress. 4 |
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PHOTOS
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OFFICIAL
SITE
Rush Hour 2 ? 2001 New Line Cinema. All Rights
Reserved.
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