Chan-o-meter

I've just got back from seeing Rush Hour 3. I know, I know, every review says it's rubbish and that it should be avoided, but when you're a Jackie Chan fan what can you do? - You have got to go and see it.

Yeah, yeah, Jackie's getting on a bit for an action hero these days and motormouth Chris Tucker's character can be annoying to the nth degree. Sure, I know all that... but it's a Jackie Chan film!

So without expecting too much I sat in my local popcorn pit and watched the film unreel. Plot? Our heroes Carter (Tucker) and Lee (Chan) go to Paris and fight some triad henchmen, Jackie's got a Japanese 'brother', the women are beautiful and the jokes are crude - that's it. Wise cracks + slapstick + fights (repeat 5 times).

Occasionally the old Chan/Tucker comedy chemistry is present but mostly it seems a bit forced and Tucker is often too irritating for words. In the film's favour however the action sequences are better than I was expecting; Chan is still pretty nimble, Youki Kudoh is great as a knife throwing assassin and the climax at the top of the Eiffel tower is quite good. Oh, and as and nostalgic bonus there's a sequence where Carter and Lee get chased by a group of bad guys on motor bikes - which felt like a throw back to several Hong Kong films from the early eighties.

To conclude, Rush Hour 3 is not a great film. No surprise there. It's a quick cash-in, the third in the franchise and it offers nothing new. Was it worth the trip to the cinema? For me, as a fan of JC and the first film, I'd say 'yes'. I'm glad I saw it. Despite all of its shortcomings it was still pretty entertaining. Just go see it with low expectations, ignore the absurdities and you just might enjoy it.

So where does Rush Hour 3 sit in the pantheon of Jackie Chan films? I've fed my thoughts into the Chan-o-meter (TM) and here is the result...

[Click on chart to enlarge]