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"In my opinion", he says... "In another two or three years, he'll do an important film" Uber Producer Dino DeLaurentis, referring to director Brett Rattner in Vanity Fair, April, 2007. Remember this quote for later. How bad is a film that doesn't live up to your expectations when you have no expectations? Every summer is filled with a number of sequels and the summer of 2007 has been no exception. What is slightly out of the ordinary is the number of 'threequels' we have had this summer. With the exception of "Oceans' 13" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" each of the third entries has been a big let down. "Rush Hour 3" wasn't a huge letdown, but that is only because I wasn't expecting a lot in the first place. Somehow, director Brett Rattner managed to create a film that doesn't even live up to these low, almost nonexistent expectations. Carter (Chris Tucker) has been reassigned to direct traffic at an intersection in downtown Los Angeles. Instead of trying to do a good job and work his way back up the ranks (we never really learn why he was demoted in the first place) he listens to his iPod, dancing to Michael Jackson music while directing traffic. The hapless drivers don't understand the signals and a pile up occurs. Soon, Carter is hitting on two bimbos who were driving a Mercedes involved in the accident. Lee (Jackie Chan) is now working as the bodyguard to the Chinese Ambassador of the World Criminal Court. They are making their way to a meeting of the court in Los Angeles; the Ambassador is prepared to announce he knows who is running the Triad. Warmly greeted by Reynard (Max Von Side), the Ambassador prepares to address the crowd when a sniper on top of a building far away shoots him. Lee spots the assassin and runs after him. Naturally, they cross paths with Carter and he joins in the chase. The assassin gets away, but Carter and Lee visit the Ambassador at the hospital. They learn the Ambassador will recover, and meet his daughter, Soo Yung, who they originally met at age 10. Now a young lady, her life is also threatened; a group of French speaking Chinese assassins show up at the hospital and are quickly dispatched by Carter and Lee. Reynard offers to take Soo Yung to Paris with him, to protect her. More clues also lead Carter and Lee to Paris where they interact with many wacky Parisians and even more French-speaking Chinese Assassins. One of the things that makes the first "Rush Hour" a fun movie to watch is you get the sense Carter and Lee actually like each other. They start off as reluctant allies, but during the course of the film, they actually seem to become friends. One of the many things to dislike about "Rush Hour 3" is Carter and Lee don't seem to like each other; from their first onscreen conversation, Lee seems to be upset with Carter, as though he is holding a grudge for some past slight. So they fight, and Lee tolerates Carter, and they don't even seem to like each other's company. Throughout the series, each of the characters has problems in their development, making them little more than cartoon characters. But in "3", these problems are no longer overshadowed by other, more enjoyable elements. I am a big fan of Jackie Chan and have seen a number of his films. Chan is known for a certain style of acrobatic kung fu antics; flying around a confined area, he grabs broomsticks, buckets, footstools and more to use as both weapons and protection against his assailant. As he twists and contorts, using a shirt to hold the assailant's hands in check, he swings around and gives the villain a quick chop to the leg. Or, they occasionally get the better of him and manage to land a chop. This style of Kung fun is very fast paced, very comical and a lot of fun to watch. In "3", they attempt to use this a couple of times, the most successful scene is when Lee fights off the "Dragon Lady" (the character's name in the credits. How enlightened!) Later, he uses the technique during an overlong battle in the big climax. But the action seems very brief in comparison to even the other two films. This may be merely my own perception, but if the action doesn't seem significant, there is a reason for that. On occasion, it is also pretty easy to spot the use of stuntmen, which is almost amazing considering how fast the editing is. If you can spot a stuntman, it means they did a pretty poor job of making sure they looked like the character they are standing in for, or the camera work was pretty lousy. In the case of "3", both can be credited to this problem. It won't fit. Please read the full review at thornhillatthemovies.com email this review to a friend
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