Rush Hour (1998 film)
Rush Hour | |
---|---|
File:Rush hour ver2.jpg Original film poster | |
Directed by | Brett Ratner |
Screenplay by | Jim Kouf Ross LaManna Jeff Nathanson |
Story by | Ross LaManna Tedi Sarafian |
Produced by | Roger Birnbaum Jonathan Glickman Arthur M. Sarkissian Leon Dudevoir Jay Stern Wayne Morris |
Starring | Jackie Chan Chris Tucker Tom Wilkinson Chris Penn Elizabeth Peña |
Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
Edited by | Mark Helfrich Tim Chau (sound) Doug Jackson (sound effects) |
Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
Production company | Roger Birnbaum Productions |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English Cantonese Mandarin |
Budget | $33 million |
Box office | $244,386,864 |
Rush Hour is a 1998 American buddy 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), with a 4th film in the works.[1]
Plot
On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee of the Hong Kong Police Force leads a raid at a shipping bar wharf, hoping to arrest the mysterious mob boss Juntao. He finds only Sang, 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 and British Commander Thomas Griffin.
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 FBI, afraid that the injury or death of Lee would result in negative attention, decide to pawn him off on the Los Angeles Police Department. The arrogant and reckless detective, James Carter is tricked into doing this but Carter makes a plan to solve the case himself when he finds out that he has been given a mundane task.
Carter meets Lee at 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 mob informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes 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, Carter accidentally involves himself in a phone conversation with Sang, where he poorly arranges a ransom drop of $50 million.
The FBI traces the call to a warehouse and sends in a team of agents only to have them killed by a bomb. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes, dropping the detonator in the process. Carter's colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson, helps them trace the detonator to Clive, an explosives dealer previously arrested by Carter. Clive is guilt-tripped by Lee into revealing his business relationship with Juntao whom he meets at a restaurant in Chinatown. The restaurant proves to be a mob headquarters, and an unknowing Carter goes to the restaurant alone where he sees a surveillance video of Juntao carrying Soo Yung into a van. Lee arrives and rescues Carter from the mobsters and destroys the restaurant by an explosion in the kitchen, but the two are taken off the case after the FBI blames them for ruining the ransom drop. Carter, however, decides he can't let this go and decides to finish what he started. When he goes to the airport to retrieve Lee, Lee refuses to tag along, saying Carter disgraced the job of a cop and his fathers good name. Carter gets frustrated with Lee's lack of knowledge about his father. Carter finally explains that his father was killed by a man trying to avoid a ticket while his partner just sat in the car and watched, causing Carter's reckless solo act. This is enough to convince Lee to join him to get Soo Yung back.
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. They conclude that Griffin is Juntao because Carter recognizes him from the incident in Chinatown and Lee sees him accept a detonator from Sang. With this knowledge, Lee calls out Griffin as the real Juntao, and Griffin, revealing himself to be Juntao, threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung. 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 Juntao cannot set it off, knowing it would kill himself too.
Johnson manages to get the vest off Soo Yung while Juntao heads toward the roof with the briefcase of money. A gunfight between the mob and law enforcement takes place, while Lee takes the vest and pursues Juntao. Sang attempts to kill Carter with a handgun, but Carter drops to the ground and shoots Sang in the heart with a revolver, killing him. Lee and Juntao find themselves dangling from the rafters under the roof. Juntao falls to his death but by the time Lee falls, Carter is able to place a flag underneath and 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 FBI, which he rudely refuses, as he is finally happy with his rank as LAPD. On the plane, Lee begins singing, much to Carter's annoyance.
Cast
- Jackie Chan as Detective Inspector Lee
- Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
- 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
- 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.[2][3] Rush Hour grossed over $244 million worldwide, making the film a box office success.[4][5] The film received positive reviews from critics.[6] 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.[7] The film currently holds a 60% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, just enough for a "Fresh" rating. It also holds a rating of 6.9/10 on IMDb.[2] The film was viewed on a total of 2,638 screens. It made $54,123,698 in film rentals (U.S.).[5][8]
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,[9] 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.[10] A fourth film in the series is in negotiations, and reportedly may be set in Moscow.[11]
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)[12]
- 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 | [13] | |
18 October 1999 | United Kingdom | 12 | Eiv | PAL | English | None | [14] |
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) | [15] |
1 October 1999 | United Kingdom | 12 | Eiv | PAL | 2 | English | Unknown | English | Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 (16:9) | [16] |
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 | [17] | |
3 January 2006 | United States | PG-13 | New Line Home Entertainment | NTSC | 1 | English | Unknown | English | [18] |
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: 2.40:1 (16:9) | [19] |
7 December 2010 | United States | PG-13 | New Line Home Video | NTSC | Free | English | Unknown | English | Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (16:9) | [20] |
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
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2324606/
- ^ a b "Rush Hour (1998)". IMDb. IMDb.com Inc. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help) Cite error: The named reference "IMDb" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Natale, Richard (1998-09-21). "What a 'Rush'--Tucker, Chan Fell Fall Records". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Rush Hour". boxofficemojo.com. September 18, 1998. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
- ^ a b Wolk, Josh (1998-09-28). "Losers Take All". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Rush Hour, Movie Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (September 18, 1998). "Rush Hour". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
- ^ [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120812/business]
- ^ "Chan Says Tucker Holding Up Rush Hour 3". The Associated Press. July 10, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
- ^ Jackie Chan Admits He Is Not a Fan of 'Rush Hour' Films
- ^ 'Rush Hour 4' is Set in Faubourg Marigny
- ^ "1999 MTV Movie Awards". MTV. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Rush Hour [VHS] (1998). Amazon.com. ISBN 0780623711.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Rush Hour [VHS] [1998]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ Rush Hour (New Line Platinum Series) (1998). amazon.com. ISBN 0780625145.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Rush Hour [DVD] [1998]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Rush Hour [UMD Mini for PSP]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Rush Hour [UMD for PSP] (1998)". amazon.com. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Rush Hour [Blu-ray] [1998][Region Free]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ "Rush Hour [Blu-ray] (1998)". amazon.com. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- 1998 films
- American films
- 1990s action films
- 1990s martial arts films
- American action comedy films
- Buddy films
- Police detective films
- Films directed by Brett Ratner
- Films about abduction
- New Line Cinema films
- Films set in Los Angeles, California
- Films set in Hong Kong
- Films set in 1997
- Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department
- American martial arts films
- Martial arts comedy films
- Triad films