Chris Tucker's Rush of Craziness

by Esther Iverem
SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic

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Like the name implies, "Rush Hour 2" is hectic, fast and full of the road rage of furious kicks and punches. It is a metaphor for how most of us see movies—in the weekend rush to get a laugh, a jolt and, for 90 minutes, to not think, especially not about cheesy race humor.

This is also, very much, Chris Tucker's movie. He is a rush. Depending on how you view him, he is a lethally funny comic-to-the-bone, a buffoon or some 21st century combination of badboy, steppin-fetchit and pitiful ladies man. In this sequel to the 1998 "Rush Hour," he again plays LAPD detective James Carter paired with Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) on a vacation in Hong Kong.

While there, both are lured into solving an international crime and Carter's sleuthing tools are always the same: insane logic, wacky body moves and his mouth almighty-tongue everlasting. Tucker's voice-loud and edgy—might best be described as a Black man imitating a ghetto parrot. He could never EVER deejay a "Quiet Storm" radio show.

Almost by accident, Carter goes about the business of being a cop. It takes his brand of street savvy and sleuthing ability to do what he does. As the pair travels from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Carter counsels Lee that behind every crime there is a rich White man. He finds clues in a South-Central L.A. Chinese food joint owned by a Chinese-speaking Black man (Don Cheadle). He warns Lee that he should never jump in front of a Black man in a buffet line.

As they fight the bad Chinese guys, Chan supplies logic as well as fighting muscle, while Tucker supplies most of the laughs. Tucker's on-screen performance here of his classic Michael Jackson imitation is one of the funniest moments for us who appreciate Tucker's humor on the black hand side.

On the other hand, what he provides throughout much the rest of the film is one more opportunity for international audience to see a black man—raw, open and frequently ignorant on race matters—who does not garner respect or even intrigue. While we might think of Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes or Laurence Fishburne as premiere Black actors, Tucker is actually the best-known Black actor around the world, largely due to the phenomenal success of the first "Rush Hour."

The fight moves here are complex and energetic but, of course, must pale in comparison to the tour de force choreography in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Jet Li's acrobatic performances in films like "Kiss of the Dragon." Ziyi Zhang, who played the talented, fighting protégé in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" makes her debut here in an English language film as a mysterious and evil villain with a penchant for delivering bombs. In her limited fight scenes, she shows she can not only hang with the guys but can also beat their ass. Rounding out the we-are-the-world casting is the performance of relative newcomer Roselyn Sanchez as a shapely Puerto Rican U.S. Service agent who happens to undress with her curtains open.

There are more laughs here than I expected, especially at the end. If you go, don't skip the credits for the hilarious outtakes, which will not only make you laugh, but might also make you think…

Esther Iverem's reviews can also be found on the lifestyle and movies pages of BET.com

-- September 10, 2001

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