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Rush Hour (1998 film)

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Rush Hour
File:Rush hour ver2.jpgOriginal film poster
Directed byBrett Ratner
Written byScreenplay
Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna
Story
Ross LaManna
Produced byRoger Birnbaum
Jonathan Glickman
Arthur M. Sarkissian
StarringJackie Chan
Chris Tucker
Tom Wilkinson
Philip Baker Hall
Mark Rolston
Tzi Ma
Rex Linn
Ken Leung
Chris Penn
Elizabeth Peña
Clifton Powell
Julia Hsu
CinematographyAdam Greenberg
Edited byMark Helfrich
Music byLalo Schifrin
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release dateSeptember 18, 1998
Running time97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Cantonese
Mandarin
Budget$33 million
Box office$255,300,000

Rush Hour is a 1998 action comedy film and the first installment in the Rush Hour film series. Directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Rush Hour was a major success and became the 7th top grossing film of 1998, with a gross of over $140 million dollars at the U.S. box office.

Plot

On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong police leads a raid at a shipping bar wharf, hoping to arrest the mysterious crime lord Juntao. He finds only Sang (Ken Leung), Juntao's right hand man, who manages to escape. However, Lee successfully recovers numerous Chinese cultural treasures stolen by Juntao, which he presents as a farewell victory to his departing superiors: Chinese Consul Solon Han (Tzi Ma) and British Commander Thomas Griffin (Tom Wilkinson).

Shortly after Han arrives in the United States to take up his new diplomatic post in Los Angeles, his daughter, Soo Yung, is kidnapped on her way to her first day of school. The leader of the kidnappers is none other than Sang. Shortly after this incident, the FBI inform Consul Han, who calls in Lee to assist in the case.

The FBI, afraid that the injury or death of Lee would result in negative attention, pawn him off on the LAPD Captain Diel, who gives the assignment to Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), an overconfident, average looking, and arrogant police officer with aspirations of joining the FBI. Captain Diel gives him a choice: keep Lee away from the investigation or face two months suspension without pay. Carter reluctantly agrees, secretly intending to solve the case himself.

Carter meets Lee at the Los Angeles International Airport and then proceeds to take him on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, simultaneously keeping Lee away from the embassy and contacting several of his underworld informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes Carter and makes his way to the Chinese Consulate, where an anxious Han and a group of FBI agents are awaiting news about his daughter. While being reprimanded by Agent-in-charge Warren Russ (Mark Rolston), Carter manages to accidentally involve himself in a phone conversation with the kidnappers, where he poorly arranges a ransom drop.

After their arrival at the agreed drop point, Lee tries to warn the FBI that something is amiss, but is ignored until a bomb inside the building is detonated, killing several agents. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes, dropping a strange detonator in the process. After showing it to Carter's colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Peña), they learn that Juntao was behind the kidnapping. Following a lead to a restaurant in Chinatown, Carter is captured after going in alone, though he sees a surveillance video of Juntao carrying Soo-Yung into a van. Lee arrives and rescues Carter, and they are met outside by the FBI, led by Russ, who blames them for ruining the ransom exchange. Sang phones the consul, angrily telling him that the ransom has been increased from $50 million to $70 million, and threatens to kill Soo-Yung if anything else goes wrong. Disgraced and guilt-ridden, Lee and Carter are ordered off the investigation, and Lee is informed that he will be sent back to Hong Kong. Carter refuses to drop the case and confronts Lee on his plane to enlist his help, and the two men decide to save Soo-Yung together.

The final confrontation comes at the opening of a Chinese art exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which Han and Griffin are overseeing, while the ransom is being delivered. Carter, Lee, and Johnson enter disguised as guests. After Carter recognizes Griffin from Chinatown, he creates a scene by alerting the spectators about a bomb threat in the building and tells them to evacuate. In the confusion, Lee sees Sang handing Griffin a detonator identical to the one he and Carter had previously recovered, deducing that Griffin is Juntao. Griffin/Juntao then threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung if the delivery is interrupted. During the stand-off, however, Carter and Johnson rescue Soo Yung and bring the bomb vest within range to kill everyone inside the exhibition. In the ensuing gunfight, Carter shoots Sang and Johnson defuses the bomb attached to Soo Yung. As Griffin attempts to escape with the ransom money, Lee pursues him up several sets of maintenance ladders. During the pursuit, Both men failing over the rail with Lee holding onto a rafter and Griffin holding of on to the bomb vest, releasing the money in the process, the bomb vest then rips apart semding Griffin falling to his death into a fountain below, Lee then looses his grip and falls from the rafters, but Carter is able to reascue Lee placing a large flag under him and catch him.

Han and Soo Yung are reunited, and Han sends Carter and Lee on vacation together to Hong Kong. Before Carter leaves, Agents Russ and Whitney offer him a position in the FBI, which he refuses. The film ends with Lee and Carter enjoying their flight to Hong Kong.

Cast

Juntao's Men

  • Chan Man-ching (as Man Ching Chan)
  • Andy Cheng (as Andy Kai Chung Cheng)
  • Stuart W. Yee (as Stuart Yee)
  • Nicky Li (as Nicky Chung Chi Li)
  • Ken Lo (as Kenneth Houi Kang Low)
  • Mars (uncredited)
  • William Tuan (uncredited)
  • David Leung (uncredited)
  • Johnny Cheung (uncredited)

Trivia

This section contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (April 2009)
  • Chan and Tucker were considered for the role of Wa Sing Ku and Detective Lee Butters, respectively, for the 1998 film Lethal Weapon 4
  • The movie is set in 1997. Britain handed over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997.
  • Martin Lawrence was the original choice for Carter.
  • Dave Chappelle was also considered for Carter. He referenced this and his reaction to not getting the part in the Chappelle's Show skit 'The Three Daves'.
  • Carter's Corvette license plate has the same three-letter combination as the license plate of the van that the consul's daughter is held in.
  • At Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Carter shows Inspector Lee the foot prints of John Wayne. In Shanghai Noon (2000) Jackie Chan plays a character called Chon Wang - which is a play on John Wayne.
  • According to director Brett Ratner, during the scene at Grauman's where Detective Carter bribes Stucky for information, there was so much improvisation between Chris Tucker and John Hawkes that they almost did not think they could edit it together as a coherent conversation. There are still continuity errors in the dialogue for this reason.
  • Chris Tucker improvised much of his dialogue as he commonly does in his films.
  • The afro and mustache in the photo on Detective Carter's badge were added as an afterthought in post-production.
  • Brett Ratner was a big fan of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong movies. He felt that American audiences would not be familiar with the jokes in Jackie's other movies, and deliberately re-used some of his gags. For example, the scene where Inspector Lee accidentally grabs Johnson's breasts is a reference to Jackie Chan's film Mr. Nice Guy (1997).
  • Carter telling Detective Johnson that the LAPD are the most hated police in the world may be a reference to the beating of Rodney King.
  • Elizabeth Peña played a prank on Director Brett Ratner in which she appeared on the set wearing nothing but her character's bomb squad vest. According to Peña, she thought Ratner would laugh and howl; instead he was extremely nervous and embarrassed.

Reception

Rush Hour opened at #1 at the North American box-office with a weekend gross of $33 million in September 1998. Rush Hour grossed over $244 million worldwide.

The film gained relatively positive reviews from critics. Many critics praised Chris Tucker for his comical acts in the film and how he and Chan formed an effective comic duo. The film currently holds a 61% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, just enough to be certified "Fresh".

Sequels

A sequel Rush Hour 2, was made in 2001, which was primarily set in Hong Kong. A third movie, Rush Hour 3, was released on August 10, 2007, which was primarily set in Paris, France. Tucker earned $25 million for his role in the third film and Chan received the distribution rights to the movie in Asia.

A fourth film in the series is in negotiations, and reportedly may be set in Moscow.

Soundtrack

Main article: Rush Hour (soundtrack)

The soundtrack features the hit single "Can I Get A..." by Jay-Z, Ja Rule and Amil, as well as tracks by Edwin Starr, Flesh-n-Bone, Wu-Tang Clan, Dru Hill, Charli Baltimore and Montell Jordan.

Awards and nominations

  • 1999 BMI Film and TV Awards
  • 1999 Golden Screen (Germany)
    • Winner: Golden Screen

See also

References

  1. "Rush Hour". boxofficemojo.com. September 18, 1998. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
  2. "FILM REVIEW; Kicks, Swivels and Wisecracks on Hollywood Boulevard". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  3. Ebert, Roger (September 18, 1998). "Rush Hour". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
  4. "Chan Says Tucker Holding Up Rush Hour 3". The Associated Press. July 10, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
  5. Jackie Chan Admits He Is Not a Fan of 'Rush Hour' Films
  6. 'Rush Hour 4' is Set in Faubourg Marigny

External links

Rush Hour
Films
Television
Soundtracks
Films directed by Brett Ratner
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