Rush Hour (1998 film)

Rush Hour
Original film poster
Directed by	Brett Ratner
Produced by	Roger Birnbaum Jonathan Glickman Arthur M. Sarkissian Leon Dudevoir Jay Stern Wayne Morris
Written by	Jim Kouf Ross LaManna
Story by	Ross LaManna
Starring	Jackie Chan Chris Tucker Tom Wilkinson Chris Penn Elizabeth Peña
Music by	Lalo Schifrin
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Editing by	Mark Helfrich Tim Chau (sound) Doug Jackson (sound effects)
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	September 18, 1998 (1998-09-18)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English Cantonese Mandarin
Budget	$33 million
Box office	$244,386,864 (worldwide)

Rush Hour is a 1998 American action comedy film and the first installment in the Rush Hour series. Directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. It was followed by two sequels, Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007).

Plot

On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong Police Force 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 by Sang while on her way to her first day of school. The Federal Bureau of Investigation informs Consul Han about the incident, who calls in Lee to assist in the case.

The F.B.I., afraid that the injury or death of Lee would result in negative attention, decide to pawn him off on the Los Angeles Police Department. Captain Diel, angry over a botched undercover operation that injured two officers and destroyed evidence, gives the assignment to James Carter (Chris Tucker), an arrogant and annoying police detective with aspirations of joining the F.B.I., by tricking him into thinking the F.B.I. truly wants him. When Carter discovers the real assignment, Captain Diel threatens to suspend him for two months without pay if he does not comply. Carter reluctantly agrees, secretly intending to solve the case himself.

Carter meets Lee at Los Angeles International Airport and then proceeds to take him on a sightseeing tour of L.A., simultaneously keeping Lee away from the embassy and contacting several of his underworld informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes and makes his way to the Chinese Consulate, where an anxious Han and a group of F.B.I. agents are awaiting news about his daughter. While being reprimanded by Agent-in-charge Warren Russ (Mark Rolston), Carter accidentally involves himself in a phone conversation with Sang, where he poorly arranges a ransom drop of $50 million. The F.B.I. is tracing the call and determines its place of origin.

After their arrival at the warehouse where the call came from, Lee tries to warn the F.B.I. that something is amiss, but is ignored until a bomb inside the building is detonated, killing numerous agents. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes, dropping the detonator in the process. After showing it to Carter's colleague, L.A.P.D. bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Peña), they learn that the detonator could blow up C4, which leads them to Clive (Chris Penn), the man who Carter arrested in his botched sting. Clive is guilt-tripped by Lee into revealing his business relationship with Juntao and that they can find him at a restaurant in Chinatown.

At the restaurant, 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 F.B.I., 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 at the airport 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 really Juntao. With this knowledge, Lee calls out Griffin as the real Juntao, and Griffin, seeing that his cover is blown, threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung if the delivery is interrupted. During the stand-off, however, Carter manages to sneak out and locate Soo Yung. He then drives the van into the building and brings the bomb vest within range so that Griffin cannot set it off, knowing it would kill himself too.

After a gunfight breaks out, Carter gives Soo Yung to Lee and Johnson, who manages to get the vest off Soo Yung. Lee then takes the vest and pursues Griffin (who is carrying a baggage of the ransom with him while getting up to the top of the building to await for a helicopter escape) while Carter shoots Sang dead in a gunfight as Sang attempts to collect more of the ransom and kill one of the F.B.I. agents. During the pursuit, both Lee and Griffin fall over the rail with Lee holding onto a rafter and Griffin holding onto the bomb vest. The vest then rips apart, sending Griffin falling to his death into a fountain below, Lee then loses his grip and falls, but Carter is able to rescue him by placing a large flag under him to catch him.

Han and Soo Yung are reunited, and Han sends Carter and Lee on vacation together to Hong Kong as a reward for their actions. Before Carter leaves, Agents Russ and Whitney offer him a position in the F.B.I., which he rudely refuses. The film ends with Lee enjoying his flight, while annoying Carter on their way to Hong Kong.

Cast

• Jackie Chan as Detective Inspector Lee (briefly doubled by Robert Wong)
• Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter (doubled by Mark Hicks, Wayne Johnson and Jalil Jay Lynch)
• Tom Wilkinson as Thomas Griffin/Juntao
• Tzi Ma as Consul Solon Han
• Ken Leung as Sang
• Elizabeth Peña as Detective Tania Johnson
• Mark Rolston as FBI Special Agent In Charge Warren Russ
• Rex Linn as FBI Agent Dan Whitney
• Chris Penn as Clive Cod
• Philip Baker Hall as Captain William Diel
• Julia Hsu as Soo Yung Han (doubled by Jane Oshita)
• John Hawkes as Stucky
• Clifton Powell as Luke
• Kevin Lowe as FBI Agent
• Billy Devlin as FBI Agent in Building
• Barry Shabaka Henley as Bobby
• Christine Ng as Flight Attendant (as Christine Ng Wing Mei)
• George Cheung as Soo Yung's Driver
• Norman D. Wilson as Card Player (uncredited)
• Stephen Blackehart as SWAT Captain (uncredited)

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)
• Kwan Yung (uncredited)
• William Tuan (uncredited)
• James Lew (uncredited)
• Johnny Cheung (uncredited)
• Will Leong (uncredited)

Reception

Rush Hour opened at No. 1 at the North American box office with a weekend gross of $33 million in September 1998. Rush Hour grossed over $244 million worldwide, making the film a box office success. The film received mixed to positive reviews. Roger Ebert praised both Jackie Chan, for his entertaining action sequences without the use of stunt doubles, and Chris Tucker, for his comical acts in the film, and how they formed an effective comic duo. The film currently holds a 62% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, just enough for a "Fresh" rating. It also holds a rating of 6.8/10 on IMDb. The film was viewed on a total of 2,638 screens. It made $54,123,698 in film rentals (U.S.).

Sequels

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

Accolades

• 1999 ALMA Awards
  • Winner: Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film (Elizabeth Peña)

• 1999 BMI Film and TV Awards
  • Winner: BMI Film Music Award (Lalo Schifrin)

• 1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
  • Winner: Favorite Duo- Action/Adventure (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker)
  • Nomination: Favorite Supporting Actress- Action/Adventure (Elizabeth Peña)

• 1999 Bogey Awards (Germany)
  • Winner: Bogey Awards in Silver

• 1999 Golden Screen (Germany)
  • Winner: Golden Screen

• 1999 Grammy Awards
  • Nomination: Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television (Lalo Schifrin)

• 1999 NAACP Image Awards
  • Nomination: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture (Chris Tucker)

• 1999 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (United States)
  • Nomination: Favorite Movie Actor (Blimp Award) (Chris Tucker)

• 1999 MTV Movie Awards
  • Winner: Best On-Screen Duo (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker)
  • Nomination: Best Comedic Performance (Chris Tucker)
  • Nomination: Best Fight (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker) (For the fight against the Chinese gang)
  • Nomination: Best Movie Song (Jay-Z) (For Can I Get A...)

Home Media

VHS

Release date	Country	Classifaction	Publisher	Format	Language	Subtitles	Notes	REF
15 June 1999	United States	PG-13	New Line Home Video	NTSC	English	None
18 October 1999	United Kingdom	12	Eiv	PAL	English	None

DVD

Release date	Country	Classifaction	Publisher	Format	Region	Language	Sound	Subtitles	Notes	REF
2 March 1999	United States	PG-13	New Line Home Video	NTSC	1	English	Unknown	English	Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16:9)
1 October 1999	United Kingdom	12	Eiv	PAL	2	English	Unknown	English	Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 (16:9)

UMD

Release date	Country	Classifaction	Publisher	Format	Region	Language	Sound	Subtitles	Notes	REF
1 September 2005	United Kingdom	12	Eiv	PAL	2	English	Unknown	English
3 January 2006	United States	PG-13	New Line Home Video	NTSC	1	English	Unknown	English

Blu-ray

Release date	Country	Classifaction	Publisher	Format	Region	Language	Sound	Subtitles	Notes	REF
11 October 2010	United Kingdom	15	Warner Home Video	PAL	Free	English	Unknown	English	Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 (16:9)
7 December 2010	United States	PG-13	New Line Home Video	NTSC	Free	English	Unknown	English	Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 (16:9)

See also

• Buddy cop film
• List of films set in Hong Kong
• List of films set in Los Angeles
• Rush Hour 2
• Rush Hour 3
• Jackie Chan filmography

External links

• Rush Hour at the Internet Movie Database
• Rush Hour at Box Office Mojo
• Rush Hour at AllRovi
• Rush Hour at Rotten Tomatoes
• Rush Hour at Metacritic
• Jackie Chan Fansite