Rush Hour (1998)

Director:

Brett Ratner

Writers (WGA):

Ross LaManna (story)
Jim Kouf (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Two cops. One is all talk. The other is all action.

Plot:

Two cops team up to get back a kidnapped daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | FBI | Friend | Trust | Art Exhibition

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Feb. 19	9:00 PM	FX
Sat. Feb. 20	6:00 PM	FX

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jackie Chan	...	Lee
Chris Tucker	...	Carter
Tom Wilkinson	...	Thomas Griffin / Juntao
Tzi Ma	...	Consul Han
Mark Rolston	...	Agent Warren Russ
Rex Linn	...	Agent Daniel Whitney
Elizabeth Peña	...	Johnson
Chris Penn	...	Clive Card
Philip Baker Hall	...	Captain Diel
Ken Leung	...	Sang
Robert Littman	...	First Caucasian
Michael Chow	...	Dinner Guest
Julia Hsu	...	Soo Yung
Kai Lennox	...	Cop at Diner
Larry Sullivan	...	Cop at Diner (as Larry Sullivan Jr.)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence and shootings, and for language.

Runtime:

98 min | Spain:93 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:15 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

According to director Brett Ratner, during the scene at Grauman's where Detective Carter bribes Stucky for information, there was so much improvisation between Chris Tucker and John Hawkes that they almost didn't think they could edit it together as a coherent conversation. There are still continuity errors in the dialogue for this reason.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final shootout scene at the LA Convention Center, Juntao calls for a position report of the helicopter inbound to pick him up. When the camera cuts to the helicopter, a Eurocopter AS-355 "Twinstar" is shown. Later when Juntao makes a second radio call to the helicopter to instruct the pilot to pick him up on the roof, the camera cuts to a shot of a helicopter hovering above the convention center. The helicopter shown is an Augusta Westland A-109 Power or a variant of that type.

Quotes:

Lee: You must take me to see Consul Han right away.
Carter: Man, just sit there and shut up! This ain't no democracy.
Lee: Yes, it is.
Carter: No, it ain't. This is the United States of James Carter. I'm the president, I'm the emperor, I'm the king. I'm Michael Jackson, you Tito. Your ass belongs to me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Reservoir Dogs' Revisited (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Get Down Tonight

amusing buddy film

The Chinese consul's daughter is kidnapped and the FBI steps in to investigate the case. The consul doesn't trust anyone however, so he calls in an old friend and police inspector from Hong Kong to aid in the rescue of his daughter. Not wanting to work with outsiders, the FBI pairs him with a cocky, loud-mouthed street cop who dreams of becoming a federal agent but doesn't work well with partners. The formula is tired and predictable, but it's redeemed to a surprising extent by the effective pairing of Chan and Tucker, who are an ideal action-comedy duo. Lots of gimmicky action scenes, and big time laughs, with the added bonus of a script that doesn't require a lot of thinking. ***