Rush Hour (1999)
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A Hong Kong police officer and a Los Angeles detective must team up to rescue a kidnapped diplomat's daughter.
The story
Following the theft of Chinese cultural treasures in Hong Kong, a diplomat's daughter is kidnapped in Los Angeles. To assist in the rescue, the diplomat calls on his friend, a Hong Kong police officer. However, the FBI insists that the officer be paired with a local LAPD detective. The two officers, who have vastly different styles and personalities, are forced to work together to navigate the complexities of the investigation and locate the girl before it is too late.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a crime lord's henchman escapes a raid in Hong Kong, a Chinese diplomat's daughter is kidnapped in Los Angeles. The diplomat's friend, Chief Inspector Lee, is sent to help but is paired with the abrasive Detective James Carter. While Carter initially tries to work alone, the duo eventually teams up to track the kidnappers. They discover the mastermind is actually a British diplomat, Thomas Griffin, who is secretly the crime lord Juntao. During a high-stakes negotiation at an art exhibition, the duo faces off against Griffin's men. Carter manages to rescue the girl while Lee engages in a final confrontation with Griffin. The film ends with the pair being offered positions in the FBI, which Carter refuses, choosing to remain with the LAPD.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Cantonese; Mandarin
- Directors
- Brett Ratner
- Writers
- Jim Kouf · screenplay; Ross LaManna · screenplay; Ross LaManna · story
- Cast and characters
- Jackie Chan · Chief Inspector Lee; Chris Tucker · Detective James Carter; Tom Wilkinson · Thomas Griffin/Juntao; Tzi Ma · Consul Solon Han; Ken Leung · Sang; Elizabeth Peña · Detective Tania Johnson; Mark Rolston · FBI Special Agent Warren Russ; Rex Linn · FBI Agent Dan Whitney; Chris Penn · Clive Cobb; Philip Baker Hall · Captain Bill Diel; Julia Hsu · Soo-Yung Han
- Genres
- action; comedy
- Themes
- partnership; cultural clash
- Tone and mood
- action; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- buddy cop; martial arts; kidnapping
- Franchise connections
- Rush Hour
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, particularly praising the chemistry and performances of the lead actors.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 62% · scale: percentage · review count: 73; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 23; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film · ALMA Awards · 1999 · Winner; BMI Film Music Award · BMI Film and TV Awards · 1999 · Winner; Favorite Duo- Action/Adventure · Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · 1999 · Winner; Favorite Supporting Actress- Action/Adventure · Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · 1999 · Nomination; Bogey Awards in Silver · Bogey Awards (Germany) · 1999 · Winner; Golden Screen · Golden Screen (Germany) · 1999 · Winner; Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television · Grammy Awards · 1999 · Nomination; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture · NAACP Image Awards · 1999 · Nomination; Favorite Movie Actor (Blimp Award) · Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (United States) · 1999 · Nomination; Best On-Screen Duo · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · Winner; Best Comedic Performance · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · Nomination; Best Fight · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · Nomination; Best Movie Song · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the catalyst for the creation of the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.; The Foo Chow Restaurant in Los Angeles' Chinatown is a real location used in the film.; Several actors, including Martin Lawrence and Wesley Snipes, were considered for the role of Detective James Carter.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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