10 'Hilarious' Movie Moments That Would Get Banned Now
8. Tucker's Oriental Omnishambles: Rush Hour
Jackie Chan admitted a while back that, despite him signing up for three movies in the Rush Hour chop socky franchise, he didn't have much of a clue as to what the actual joke was. Film historians may well look back with similar bafflement, as here you had a series starring a Hong Kong icon and a black comedian that nevertheless spent a lot of time being a tad racist. Chris Tucker (a generally underrated actor in my book) went full throttle in a performance best described as Prince possessed by the spirit of Inspector Clouseau. He was always the butt of the joke, leering misguidedly over attractive women and showing a standard American misunderstanding of mismatched partner Chan's culture. The filmmakers were already on the naughty step for that, but when they wrote in a "funny" scene where Tucker accidentally punched Chan before admitting: "All ya'll look alike!"...? Man, they were just asking for a tin opener and a family size can of whup ass... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qKoFdPJ4rI
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.