Rush Hour (1998)

61% of critics liked it
(66 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(832,043 ratings)

Brett Ratner directed this action-comedy that found box-office success by teaming Chris Tucker with Jackie Chan -- performing his own stunts as per his earlier films. As the story begins, Hong-Kong supercop Lee's (Chan), detective savvy leads to the confiscation of $500 million in weapons, drugs,… More Brett Ratner directed this action-comedy that found box-office success by teaming Chris Tucker with Jackie Chan -- performing his own stunts as per his earlier films. As the story begins, Hong-Kong supercop Lee's (Chan), detective savvy leads to the confiscation of $500 million in weapons, drugs, and Chinese art. When Hong Kong Chinese Consul Han (Tzi Ma), is sent on a diplomatic mission to Los Angeles, his 11-year-old daughter, Soo Young (Julia Hsu), is abducted by an international criminal mastermind. The FBI assures Han they will find the kidnappers and return her safely, yet Han only trusts his longtime friend and ally (also his daughter's beloved martial arts teacher) Inspector Lee, who immediately flies in to help. Unwilling to have an outsider interfere in their investigation, the FBI assigns rogue LAPD detective (and buffoon) James Carter (Chris Tucker) to the case. Hoping to impress the FBI, Carter enthusiastically reports for work but is dismayed to discover his real mission is only to keep Lee away from the case (read b-a-b-y-s-i-t-t-e-r). The arrogant Carter reacts by embarking on a one-man crusade to solve the case, but he must first distract Lee. It doesn't take Carter long before he realizes he has greatly underestimated his Hong Kong counterpart, who sees what's going on and slips away. Impatient FBI agents try to cast off these unwanted misfit cops, but with an assist from LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Pena), Carter and Lee eventually confront the bad guys in a full-tilt action sequence. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Brett Ratner
Written By: Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna, Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna
Genres: Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 18, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Mar 2, 1999
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
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.
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
Rush Hour is a righteous title for an action comedy, and that's only the beginning.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Rush Hour effectively teams Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in a formulaic but funny action comedy that should please fans of both stars.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
A kick-happy buddy film!
David Denby, New York Magazine
The movie is no more than a well-produced confection designed for quick payoff in the big cities, but it's pretty consistently funny.
Sean Means, Film.com
So why is that when Chan makes a real Hollywood movie the results are so disappointing?
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
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]
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD
A lightweight, but highly enjoyable buddy cop movie elevated by its two lead stars.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Buddy cop fun amidst explosions, bad guys, and language.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
The action and stunt scenes are not on a par with those in Chan's HK efforts.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...manages to coast on the palpable chemistry between the two leads...
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
How sad that the great Chan is presumed to need this kind of dumbed-down buddy movie.
Charlotte O'Sullivan, Time Out
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.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
Chris Tucker is the man.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
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.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
A disappointment.
Blake French, Filmcritic.com
By themselves, Chan and Tucker do not provide anything inspiring or refreshing, but when they are combined, they form a surprisingly entertaining comedic duo.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
I didn't have very high expectations for this film, and it was much better than I thought it was going to be.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
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.
James Rocchi, Netflix
A perfect popcorn film -- lightweight, low in nutrients but remarkably satisfying nonetheless.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Sanjay R

A very funny film with great character development. Good for a nice balance of action and comedy.
Albert K

Good, clean fun. Compared to most of Jackie Chan's projects, the choreography in his fight scenes are very limited but the comedic factor and the engaging story keep this action movie from being a failure. Yes, "Rush Hour" is crippled with bad production value, amateur… More
Good, clean fun. Compared to most of Jackie Chan's projects, the choreography in his fight scenes are very limited but the comedic factor and the engaging story keep this action movie from being a failure. Yes, "Rush Hour" is crippled with bad production value, amateur direction, and boring editing, but it's nothing more or less than a fun and funny action movie.
Scott G

I was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't, yet I was still entertained by it's action and storyline, which was sadly met with a weak-ish script.
danny d

guilty pleasure, or legitemately top notch buddy cop film? either way, i love this flick. its fun, funny, and action packed in the right ways.
Eric A

Not the most intricate thriller, but bits and pieces added to a pretty well done comedy make for a good first movie to the trilogy.
Marc L

This is truly the greatest action comedy I have ever seen. Unlike most action comedies, it can have a huge load of action without detracting from the comedy. The only bad thing I can think of is that the movie seemed to be kind of short. I'm sure that if the producers really… More
This is truly the greatest action comedy I have ever seen. Unlike most action comedies, it can have a huge load of action without detracting from the comedy. The only bad thing I can think of is that the movie seemed to be kind of short. I'm sure that if the producers really tried they could make this movie longer. Chan did a very good job acting. Best performance as a police officer I've seen in a long time. He also had a few funny lines here and there. Of course, Tucker was my favorite part of the movie. He was always saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Normally, I don't find that kind of stuff funny, but fast talking Chris made me a believer. For a comedy, this movie had a decent amount of suspense. When the two cops are trying to rescue the little girl, I can honestly say it had my heart pumping (Even though I knew what was going to happen. I'll admit that) The villains did a good job too. I particularly liked Ken Leung's performance as the secondary villain. He seemed like the most menacing character in the story. His final battle with Tucker. All in all, this movie is fantastic. There weren't many great movies in the 90's (Watch "Nostalgia Critic" and "Nostalgia Chick" if you don't believe me), but this one is truly elite.
Brad W

A funny and cool movie, but very forgettable.
Candy R

Jackie is a cop who comes from Hong Kong to LA to find a kidnapped daughter of a Chinese diplomat. Tucker is a nausance to the LAPD and they assign him to look after Jackie. The duo get into a lot of trouble. Funny action movie.
Mike S

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are amazingly funny together. Well, maybe not "rolling on the floor with laughter"-funny, but definitely an entertaining on-screen duo. Chan with his ingenious martial arts and Tucker with his eccentric demeanour and gung-ho personality.… More
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are amazingly funny together. Well, maybe not "rolling on the floor with laughter"-funny, but definitely an entertaining on-screen duo. Chan with his ingenious martial arts and Tucker with his eccentric demeanour and gung-ho personality. Sometimes on the brink of annoying, but never too over the top. In any case, you can't call yourself a true Jackie Chan fan if you haven't seen at least one of the three Rush Hour flicks. A trilogy in which this one remains the best installment.
Jeff "

Brett Ratner demonstrates his mediocre directing skills with Rush Hour. A crap action comedy film. Chris Tucker is very annoying and irritating. Can't believe they made two sequels to this film. Bad. Rush Hour is boring trash with bad acting. I expected so much, but delivered so… More
Brett Ratner demonstrates his mediocre directing skills with Rush Hour. A crap action comedy film. Chris Tucker is very annoying and irritating. Can't believe they made two sequels to this film. Bad. Rush Hour is boring trash with bad acting. I expected so much, but delivered so little. This film along with it's two sequels proves that Brett Ratner should quit directing. He is not talented whatsoever, he's only made one good film, and that was Red Dragon. That's it. If you want to watch this, do so at your own risk. Don't expect anything great here, cause you won't find it. Rush Hour is a filmn that shouldn't have been made in the first place. This is one of the worst buddy comedies ever made. Maybe if it had a different director and two lead actors, the film would have been better.
Richard C

the second movie is better bu this was good but not great. B
Jani H

"This is the United States of James Carter. I'm the president, I'm the emperor, I'm the king. I'm Michael Jackson, you Tito. Your ass belongs to me." 'Rush Hour' started a series of films that has now got to a length of a trilogy. The first of… More
"This is the United States of James Carter. I'm the president, I'm the emperor, I'm the king. I'm Michael Jackson, you Tito. Your ass belongs to me." 'Rush Hour' started a series of films that has now got to a length of a trilogy. The first of these was Jackie Chan's long waited breakthrough in Holllywood. But his breakthrough would not have been without the help of Chris Tucker. The plot is a basic buddy cop movie surrounding on solving the kidnap of a diplomates daughter. Jackie Chan plays detective Lee and Chris Tucker is James Carter from LAPD. Carter was assigned to keep Lee out of the investigations, worried that Lee's death or injury would cause negative attention. Sounds stupid and without logic but it happens to turn out to be a fun ride. This film is ALL about Chris Tucker's overconfident and arrogant character. Jackie Chan just happens to ride along. Most of Tucker's dialogue must have been improvised. At times it even looks as if he would blabber so much that even he doesn't know what just happened. But it works perfectly and I'd say that without Tucker, 'Rush Hour' would've been nothing but a mediocre cop film. Jacke Chan's stregth lies in the action scenes. No one can choreograph fight scenes in the same way as Chan. Tucker's dialogue and Chan's choreographs make 'Rush Hour' a film worth seeing. Later it turned out that Tucker would only concentrate on the 'Rush Hour' series... "This is the LAPD. We're the most hated cops in all the free world. My own mama's ashamed of me. She tells everybody I'm a drug dealer."
Dead A

Love the bloopers :)
Jason L

Rush Hour brings on thrills required to pull of a PG- 13 action- comedy. It has amazing action sequences and tasteful comedy direction. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are at their best in this movie, managing to keep all audiences satisfied.
Anthony L

A tired concept but it's not all bad, I even laughed a couple of times!
Leigh R

Can you say funny?
Jason O

"Rush Hour" turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting it to be. A Japanese diplomat's daughter is kidnapped and it's up to an investigator (Jackie Chan) and a cop (Chris Tucker) to get her back. Chris Tucker is instructed by the FBI to stay away and to… More
"Rush Hour" turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting it to be. A Japanese diplomat's daughter is kidnapped and it's up to an investigator (Jackie Chan) and a cop (Chris Tucker) to get her back. Chris Tucker is instructed by the FBI to stay away and to keep Jackie Chan away while the FBI investigates and tries to get the girl back. But neither one can keep from trying to find the girl and get her back themself. Chan and Tucker become friends and team up to go on the mission. Like you might expect, "Rush Hour" has tons of awesome fighting scenes. But what makes it better than your average Jackie Chan movie is that it has more comedy involved. Chan and Tucker are great together in this movie and a lot of the parts are hilarious. If you like either fighting or comedy movies, you gotta give "Rush Hour" a chance. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Haven't seen a whole lot of Chan movies but the Rush Hours are great.
Phil H

A good fun packed funny cop movie. Tucker is pretty amusing and Chan is as slippery as a snake, quite an original pairing. The whole thing works really well and isn't too serious with the violence.
Lorenzo v

Chris Tucker is one of the best comedic actors on screen right now and Jackie Chan is the best action star ever. You mix them up and what do you get? Quite a rush. There are not as many or as long kung fu fighting scenes like in Jackie's good old Hong Kong classics like Drunken… More
Chris Tucker is one of the best comedic actors on screen right now and Jackie Chan is the best action star ever. You mix them up and what do you get? Quite a rush. There are not as many or as long kung fu fighting scenes like in Jackie's good old Hong Kong classics like Drunken Master II or Project A. But on the other hand, those movies don't make you laugh like Rush Hour. The movie does never have a dull moment, it's action and laughs, action and laughs throughout the whole thing. This isn't a movie for everyone but anyone who likes Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker will probably love it. I know I did.
Lenny M

Great Tag Team and memorable lines, not much else.