The Best Jackie Chan Movie Is Once Again A Hit On Netflix
Do you understand the words coming out of our mouths?! That’s right, Rush Hour, the greatest American film from legendary action star Jackie Chan, is on Netflix. The buddy cop classic is kicking the competition’s butt, climbing all the way into the streamer’s #4 spot.
Rush Hour starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker is #4 in Netflix’s top ten.
Rush Hour tells the story of LAPD detective James Carter. Played by the fast-talking Chris Tucker, Carter is a hot-shot cop with a knack for making messes. As punishment for his latest blunder, Tucker is assigned to care for Detective Inspector Lee, played by Jackie Chan, a Hong Kong police officer investigating the disappearance of a Chinese diplomat’s daughter in Los Angeles.
The streetwise, loudmouth American and the stoic, high-kicking Hong Kong cop create one of the most electric action/comedy duos in movie history. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are in rare form, bringing their respective and imitable talents to this gut-busting 90s classic.
Screenwriter Ross LaManna sold his original screenplay for Rush Hour to Disney’s Hollywood Pictures in 1995. After more than a year in development, which included the attachment of director Brett Ratner, the studio went cold on the movie due to concerns about budget and the appeal of Jackie Chan. They then turned the project around to New Line Cinema.
New Line funded Rush Hour, and Brett Ratner recruited his Hong Kong action star. Jackie Chan united with Chris Tucker, who won therole up against the likes of Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Wesley Snipes.
Rush Hour hit theaters with a knockout punch. The film earned $140 million in the U.S., with a worldwide box office total of more than $244 million – a huge win for a roughly $35 million movie.
Its middling critic reviews often conceded that the entertaining action and the chemistry of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were enough to make the film worth a watch. Among action/comedy fans, Rush Hour is a classic.
One such fan was Senh Duong, who created an online review aggregator leading up to the release of Rush Hour. That website was Rotten Tomatoes, on which Rush Hour has a 78 percent audience score.
Rush Hour was many Americans’ introduction to Jackie Chan. Despite early concerns behind the scenes about how Chan would connect with Americans, the country embraced his jaw-dropping stunt work and comedic sensibility with open arms.
The success of Rush Hour reunited Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, and Brett Ratner for two sequels. Rush Hour 2 brought the unlikely duo to Lee’s hometown of Hong Kong, while the third entry shipped the detectives off to solve a case in Paris.
For years, a fourth film has tried to get off the ground, and it is finally making forward progress 25 years after the first film.
Jackie Chan broke through in America after Rush Hour, leading to Shanghai Noon, another blockbuster action-comedy.
Since Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, Jackie Chan has stayed busy, but Chris Tucker has slowed his acting career down. He appeared in the 2012 awards darling Silver Linings Playbook and then in Ang Lee’s 2016 drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
This year, Tucker made a big splash in Ben Affleck’s Air, in which he played one of the key executives in Nike’s blockbuster deal with NBA rookie Michael Jordan.
Jackie Chan, on the other hand, has maintained a breakneck pace. Rush Hour launched the Hong Kong star into a slew of American films like Shanghai Noon, The Medallion, The Tuxedo, and the 2010 reboot of The Karate Kid.
Chan now stars in an eclectic blend of movies from international filmmakers. He lends his voice to the Kung-Fu Panda franchise and also voices Master Splinter in this summer’s animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Jackie Chan is hard at work on several action films, including New Police Story 2 and The Legend, for which he will continue his long-standing relationship with Rumble in the Bronx director Stanley Tong.
Jackie Chan Is Returning For Rush Hour 4
Also on the slate for the busy star is Rush Hour 4. Details about the film’s story have been kept under wraps, though rumors have circulated that the story takes place in Moscow. Wherever the film takes Lee and Carter, it is sure to be a different kind of Rush Hour film.
Its stars are much older, but many franchises have found success with the formula of bringing aging action stars back for one more round.
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker may not be as fast as they used to be, but they may be quick enough for one more Rush Hour. To catch up with this classic action/comedy franchise, stream Rush Hour on Netflix while it’s still hot.
