Rush Hour: Critic Reviews

A kick-happy buddy film!

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker make an entertaining team!

The contrast between Tucker's motormouth and Chan's man of few words should be funnier, but the plot -- which is cliched without quite becoming self-reflexive -- and the uneven pace dampen most of their moments.

What a lousy movie!

Raucously entertaining!

So why is that when Chan makes a real Hollywood movie the results are so disappointing?

Hollywood calculation can't match the primitive eager-to-please quality that made those Hong Kong films refreshing; they were appealing because they were so free of irony.

Rush Hour effectively teams Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in a formulaic but funny action comedy that should please fans of both stars.

Chan...can make something out of nothing, while Ratner's chief skills seem to be talking himself into the director's chair and hiring the right people. [Blu-ray]

A lightweight, but highly enjoyable buddy cop movie elevated by its two lead stars.

Buddy cop fun amidst explosions, bad guys, and language.

The action and stunt scenes are not on a par with those in Chan's HK efforts.

...manages to coast on the palpable chemistry between the two leads...

How sad that the great Chan is presumed to need this kind of dumbed-down buddy movie.

Much of the best dialogue, you suspect, was improvised by Tucker and Chan, who seem truly taken with each other and make a delightful, ordinary-extraordinary pair.

Chris Tucker is the man.

The great Jackie Chan deserves an A list director in a Hollywood film while he's still young enough to pull off his awe inspiring stunts.

A disappointment.

By themselves, Chan and Tucker do not provide anything inspiring or refreshing, but when they are combined, they form a surprisingly entertaining comedic duo.

I didn't have very high expectations for this film, and it was much better than I thought it was going to be.

Rush Hour would be a lot more valuable if it were not so heavily based on other successful films, but if you're looking for mindless entertainment, you could do worse.

A perfect popcorn film -- lightweight, low in nutrients but remarkably satisfying nonetheless.

Terrific entertainment.

Rush Hour is a righteous title for an action comedy, and that's only the beginning.

Eventually, of course, Lee and Carter must learn to work together, respecting one other’s methods and abilities, blah blah blah.