Whilst the belated and mostly dreadful Rush Hour 3 was racist to a point unseen in previous entries in the series, both Rush Hour and its sequel, Rush Hour 2, are certified proof that director Brett Ratner was put on this Earth for a good reason: to make two good comedy movies starring Jackie Chan and Chris Rock and disappearing before he got his filthy mitts around the likes of X-Men: The Last Stand (ouch - too late for that one, then). So Rush Hour 2 is - in fairness - a slight and somewhat unimaginative sequel. The plot picks up directly after the events of the first movie, with bickering buddy cops Lee (Chan) and Carter (Rock) on vacation in Hong Kong. Then, almost immediately, the pair find themselves caught up in a conspiracy that goes back to the death of Lee's father. What renders this sequel as worthwhile, however, is the chemistry: Chan and Rock are an absolute hoot to watch as they move relentlessly between explosive set-pieces and hilarious dialogue segments, and their interactions have an improvised feel that marks the movie as ripe for re-watching. It's all over in a brisk 90 minutes, and though it suffers slightly from some rehashing, Rush Hour 2 is - ultimately - a hilarious, compulsive action riot.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
