Movie:
I remember when Rush Hour first came out in theatres. I was still in high school and I loved the movie. It was another cop buddy movie but less violent and more family friendly than the Lethal Weapon franchise. Instead of shooting bad guys it was Jackie Chan beating up the bad guys with his nifty kung fu. Chris Tucker was in for the comedy. The story has Inspector Li (Jackie Chan) coming to Los Angeles to solve a kidnapping case. Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) works for the LAPD and assigned to escort Li as he investigates. Along the way, culture clash ensues and they become good friends.
Watching the movie 12 years later, it wasn’t as good as I remember. Tucker does some crazy stuff that no cop should ever do. He shoots a car full of explosives in a busy street and talks down on the FBI. The things he did was funny back in high school but today, it took me out of the movie. Overall, his chemistry with Chan is still good and it’s what makes the movie works. There verbal exchanges is funny and the training scene is still a riot. Chan’s stunt is great as usual even though it was cut back since it was a US production.
The story is good for a comedy action flick and the acting is decent. Don’t take the movie too seriously and you’ll enjoy it.
Grade: B
Video:
The movie is presented in anamorphic widescreen. I’m disappointed with the video, it has edge enhancement throughout the whole movie. It’s definitely an upgrade from its DVD counterpart. The details are clear and pristine, there’s barely any grains. But the edge enhancement is a big pet peeve of mine and distracts from the movie.
Grade: B
Audio:
The audio is presented in DTS-HD 7.1. I’m surprised but glad that they went with 7.1, the more the merrier. The center is balanced well and it’s easy to hear the dialogue while a fight scene is going on. The explosions rattled my room and Lalo Schifrin’s score is distinct and clear.
Grade: A
Extras:
This has plenty of features for a catalog title. I just wished they converted the video into HD. All are in standard definition and looks really ugly on an HDTV.
Brett Ratner commentary – Ratner is very informative but sometimes he gets so excited that he comes off as arrogant.
Lalo Schifrin commentary – The composer of Enter The Dragon discusses his score for Rush Hour. Very interesting track as most composers aren’t featured in commentaries.
A Piece of the Action: Behind the Scenes of Rush Hour – A very informative featurette. Runs about 40 minutes long and talks about the process of making the movie. Highlight was the stuntwork and the thought process behind it.
‘Whatever Happened to Mason Reese?’ – Director Brett Ratner’s short movie. Not bad, it’s about 13 minutes long, shows you his low budget project.
Deleted Scenes – Nothing worth watching.
How Deep Is Your Love? – Dru Hill music video. This is a gorgeous looking video shot in Hong Kong. I just wished it was in HD, would’ve looked spectacular.
Nuttin’ But the Love – Heavy D’s music video. It’s actually a catchy beat. The soundtrack for this movie was a hit and it shows in the 2 music videos in the blu ray
Theatrical Trailer – Pretty funny trailer
Grade: B
Overall:
Rush Hour is still a fun movie even though it’s a bit outdated. The jokes aren’t as funny anymore but the two leads still have the chemistry to carry an entertaining movie. The video and extras could’ve been better. Warner Brothers is offering a lot for this catalog title but I just wished the video was a little bit better and the extras were in HD. The audio is surprisingly phenomenal for a 12 year old movie.
Overall Grade: B
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