*****THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street***** BIASES: mid 20s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare

RUSH HOUR 2

MOVIE BIASES: The first one was just aw'ight. These trailers, however, have me presold.
MAJOR PLAYERS: Chris Tucker (Rush Hour), Jackie Chan (Rush Hour), Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour).

All right - the gang's all here. With a 90 million dollar budget that's more than double the first, "Rush Hour 2" looks to reclaim the same lightning in a bottle that took us all by surprise in 1998 with its outstanding nine figure haul. As one of Hollywood's greenest $20 million men, Chris Tucker seems ready for his close-up. But is this movie?

Picking up where the last "Rush" left off, LAPD cop James Carter (Tucker) is on vacation in Hong Kong with the city's Chief Inspector, Lee (Chan). With Lee sneaking in casework during his so-called vacation, things get a lot worse when he's put on the case of a bombing at the U.S. Embassy, making Carter reluctantly assist. Onto the scent of a deadly Hong Kong gang that's mixed in with a shady U.S. businessman, Lee and Carter travel to the United States to figure it out (Carter: "Just follow the rich white man."). Throw in a counterfeiting ring, a hot undercover Secret Service agent (Roselyn Sanchez), and some hijinks in a Las Vegas casino, and the "Rush" is on again.

Sorta. Jackie Chan will always be Jackie Chan - a whole lotta comic action, not a whole lotta English. Ever since "Cannonball Run," his formula has been the same, and it works. Chris Tucker, however, has been reduced to a whiny, racist joke spouting, caricature of a black man that annoys more than it entertains. Sure, he gives a great Michael Jackson impersonation and can create more comedy with his eyeballs than NBC can with an entire season of "Saturday Night Live." But his character is, for the most part, whiny, childish, impatient, headstrong, racist, silly, and just flat out dumb. He didn't set us back any years, but he sure ain't helping. Yet when you consider REEL DEAL Crush Zhang Ziyi's stylishly sexy, butt-kicking gang leader and Roselyn Sanchez as a (seventh level of Hell HOT!) Puerto Rican Secret Service agent and the movie has promise.

Too bad that promise isn't carried over to the production side. With paint-by-the-white-man-who-secretly-wants-to-be-black numbers direction by Ratner, the movie gets clumsy and sloppy at times (notice the day-night mismatches in Hong Kong). The script is credited to Jeff Nathanson but I bet he wrote more of the Bible than he did of the shooting script for this movie. While I can appreciate the uncredited appearance of Don Cheadle (my man!), the light, Asian music scored by Lalo Schifrin, and the creative, energetic fight sequences choreographed by Chan, I also appreciate little things like plot, throughline, and characters we actually feel something for. Sequel ready, thanks to its ridiculous 67.4 million dollar open, "Rush Hour 2," for better or worse, marks the continuation of a new, mediocre, buddy cop franchise. Unlike the "Lethal Weapon" series, let's just hope Chan and Tucker know when they're "too old to be doin' this [stuff]."

@@ REELS
(TWO REELS)
Extra medium.

Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out
his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at
ReelReviewz@aol.com!
© 2001, THE REEL DEAL