They're back and they're funny.
I have never thought I would ever profess to be a Jackie Chan fan. Yet, at the ripe old age of 31 having just seen Rush Hour 3, it appears that I am.
To begin with, a caveat: I have seen neither Rush Hour, nor Rush Hour 2. Nor have I wanted to. In fact, I found the notion of them distinctly detestable. Nonetheless, the Fates conspired and the job of covering Rush Hour 3 fell to me. "But, how am I going to know what's going on in the third one if I haven't seen the first two?!" I protested. "It won't make a difference," my coworkers said. "Trust us."
Suffice it to say, I was not looking forward to it. I mean, it wasn't like I was going to have to have painful gynecological surgery or anything, but in my mind it was a close second. I mean, I am not exactly the intended audience for Rush Hour 3. I don't particularly like action movies, or kung fu. I have never seen 
anything with Jackie Chan in it. In fact, if I only ever saw indies again I'd probably be satisfied.
And then the weirdest thing happened. I went to the theater grousing and groaning, ready to unhappily fidget the next 91 minutes away. But I didn't. In fact, shocked as I am to admit it, I liked it. Quite a bit.
Rush Hour 3 reunites Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker with director Brett Ratner (The Family Man, X-Men: The Last Stand) for another stunt-tastic crime-stopping buddy movie that stretches from Los Angeles to Paris. This time, Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective James Carter (Tucker) are onto a deadly secret at the center of a worldwide crime ring called The Triads, and they have to get to it before the bad guys do.
If you'd like a more detailed plot summary than that, well, you're out of luck because I saw the movie and I barely have any idea what happened. It wasn't exactly clear, as they say. To quote my friend's dad's misuse of a cliché, it's got a plot you could drive a truck through. But the thing is, followability and a sensible plot aren't what a movie like Rush Hour 3 is about.
Rush Hour 3 is pure summer popcorn entertainment--giant explosions, crazy stunts, and big laughs. And Ratner et al. know that and make no pretensions to be anything else. Call me naïve, but I don't expect Shakespeare from something like this, and I don't need it, either. I'm normally indifferent about stunts, but watching Jackie Chan run around on the outside of the Eiffel Tower (and yes, he really did that) is crazy and Chris Tucker is funny--which is a sight more than what I can usually say for this genre of movies.
A few of the bit parts--the nun (Dana Ivey) and the cab driver (Yvan Attal), for example--were surprisingly strong. Sure, the crime-busting team of Lee and Carter has a bit of a Scooby-Doo-ish feel to it, but who cares? The movie knows what it is and it goes for it.
Was Rush Hour 3 as good as its predecessors? Did I extend running jokes from the previous ones? I have no idea. But after seeing it, I may just rent them to find out.
ReelzChannel Rating: 