Oh, Mr. Chris Tucker….to live your life! To latch on to a successful franchise almost ten years ago and to emerge every three years to play the same character in a similar movie and have a screen legend do all the work. This of course is  Rush Hour 3 starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. This mega franchise continues to chronicle the story of Det. Carter and Inspector Lee as two very different cops coming together once again to bring down the corrupt and protect the innocent. This movie reportedly took longer to make with Chris Tucker’s money demands standing in the way of production. I’m sure it will make loads of money, but box office receipts don’t always equal a good movie.

The story once again begins with Carter and Lee at odds over an ugly past experience since the second film, however fate brings them together once more when Lee’s friend, the ambassador of China is shot at a world conference trying to crack down on an dangerous Chineese triad. The trail leads them to France when the action and hijinks ensues. Along the way they befriend an American hating Frenchman (Imagine that!) and a beautiful cabaret dancer.

The chemistry with Tucker and Chan is still there but its almost as if they know each other so well after working on the two previous blockbusters that they’re just zipping through another sequel. The movie has almost a rushed (no pun intended) feeling to it as if producers were standing behind director Brett Rattner with a cattle prod ready to buzz him if this movie was’nt ready in time for this late summer release. Chris Tucker’s dialogue provides a few chuckles but alot of it is telegraphed and really just more of the same we heard in the first two of the series.

One problem that Rush Hour 3 doesn’t lack is action. The seemingly ageless Jackie Chan flips, kicks, and sword fights with the bad guys as good as he ever has. The stunts in the movie do push the envelope into cartoon land but still manage to entertain and the choreography is top notch. The car chases are exiting and Tucker can still manage to catch some laughs with his brand of slapstick thrown into the fray.

You can tell when franchises throw quality out the window in order to make a buck and Rush Hour 3 has that mentality written all over it. The original Rush Hour was a great concept and a lot of fun, this is just the same tired formula with nothing new to keep it fresh and new. Yeah, it must be great to be Chris Tucker, who know what he’ll do if there isn’t a Rush Hour 4!

 Rush Hour 3: C

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