RUSH HOUR

A Hassle-free Commute

Jackie Chan is out to conquer America one more time - but this time he's got help.

Here he plays a Hong Kong cop yet again, sent to Los Angeles to help a diplomat friend whose daughter has been kidnapped. Tucker is a troublesome LAPD detective who is assigned the task of keeping Chan away from the FBI during the investigation. Both cops immediately try to ditch each other and solve the case on their  own.

Chan's previous made-in-USA films have been made by people who - for the most part - had little idea who Chan is and what makes his films special. Now that his own films have made him well known here, it's easier for Hollywood to get a grasp on his appeal. Previously, I'd  considered Brett Ratnor a mediocre director who just got by with whatever material was handed to him. Now he's learned to make that perceived weakness his greatest strength. He knows better than to tell Jackie Chan how to handle a fight scene, or to tell Chan's co-star Chris Tucker to stick to the script. When you oversee a terrifically talented cast and crew it's just not smart to get in their way.

His policy of letting things flow naturally reaps great rewards, even when his stars are off-screen. In one shot, the soon-to-be-kidnapped little girl, who'd predicted she'd hate her new life in America, is seen happily rapping along to a car radio on the way to school. Most directors would probably cut away from such an unimportant shot quickly, but Ratnor must have seen how plainly charming the shot is, and wisely let the little girl get through a whole verse while also capturing subtle reactions from her bodyguards in the same shot. The editors at Miramax, who've cut their imported Chan films to the bone, could learn a few things from this guy.

Though the Hollywood Action Buddy Comedy Movie has fallen into a pattern of lame repetition, here Tucker and Chan develop an effortless chemistry that's wonderfully refreshing. It would have been easy to foresee this pair reacting to their partnership the way their characters do at the start of the film: with arrogance and condescension. Both performers have gifts, but neither overshadows the other. They obviously had a great time filming this unassuming feature, and it shows in every frame.

Early in his career, I thought it would be a good idea for Chan to do a buddy pic with emerging star Arnold Schwartzenegger. I still think that's a good idea, however teaming with Tucker addresses a problem Chan has had with America much better: he's had a hard time with translation. His dialogue and comedy is either dubbed or cut out altogether, and his co-stars in his own films have been of little help. Teaming him with a very funny guy who talks nonstop was a stroke of genius. Next to Chris Tucker, anybody would seem quiet.

Kung fu; gun fu; explosions; p-star Chan.

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The Movie Madness section and its contents are ©2007 Brian Thomas