Plot: What’s it about?
Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and Detective Carter (Chris Tucker) have been in some wild adventures, taking on high profile criminals in epic cases. The two couldn’t be much more different, as Carter is loud mouthed and arrogant, while Lee is soft spoken, but knows how to kick ass when the time arrives. But while the duo have faced some incredible odds before, including their own vast cultural differences, this time even they might be outmatched. Carter and Lee have been assigned to Paris, where a Chinese crime boss has taken up shop and put the entire city on the brink of chaos. Once in Paris, the two discover there is a lot of conflict in place, as the French police, the Triad, and two mysterious women all clash. Can Carter and Lee pull off one more unlikely case and if not, if Paris doomed?
I have a pretty open mind when it comes to cinema, but after Rush Hour 3, I can tell you that I never want to see another Chris Tucker movie…ever. As if his previous resume of lackluster, annoying performances wasn’t enough, Tucker phones in a miserable effort here, in the franchise that made him a star. As much as I like Jackie Chan, I hated all three volumes of Rush Hour and this third installment is a total waste of time. All of the cliches from the first two movies return here to be run into the ground again, but the time, there isn’t even the sense of kinetic energy the original had. Tucker gives one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen, while the rest of the cast sleepwalks just to cash a check. I hated this movie and even if you kind of liked the first two, this lifeless mess isn’t even worth a rental. On the plus side, New Line’s double disc set looks and sounds great, with a full platter of supplements.
Video: How does it look?
Rush Hour 3 is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. New Line has been one of the most consistent studios from the advent of DVD, so it is no surprise this movie looks excellent. This is a superb looking visual treatment, with no major flaws to discuss in the least. The print looks clean, as is expected from such a new release, while the sharpness is excellent, this is one great looking presentation. The bright & vivid color scheme is preserved here, with rich red hues, cool blues, and the all other shades, all of which look terrific in this transfer. The black levels are just as impressive, with flawless contrast and no visible detail loss, superb work all around. A minor issues do surface, but not enough to distract and as such, I am giving this an almost perfect score.
Audio: How does it sound?
New Line has given us two bombastic soundtracks here, loaded with dynamic presence and primed to offer one heck of an audio experience. You can go with a DTS 6.1 option or a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX choice, two great options. I chose the DTS 6.1 ES option and this track features a ton of surround use, from the musical soundtrack to action driven effects to more subtle, but atmospheric presence. Almost every scene has a very immersive texture, very impressive indeed. Of course, the more action leveled scenes provide the most punch, but even more conservative sequences have solid audio, from smaller effects to the music. So you’re always sucked into the mix, which enhances the impact of the flick and that’s always good. No issues with the dialogue either, as vocals are clean and sharp, with no evidence of volume errors I could detect. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As is the way of the world, one of the lamest movies winds up with a generous assortment of extras. Making Rush Hour is a collection of featurettes that totals about an hour and a half of content. This five part look at the production is well crafted and offers more depth than I expected. This isn’t on par with the elite level documentaries of this kind that I’ve seen, but it is solid and if by some miracle you liked the movie, its worth a look. Le Rush Hour Trois offers more featurettes, a total of twenty-five in fact, which offer just over an hour of combined duration. Brett Ratner sits down for an audio commentary session also, joined by writer Jeff Nathanson, but the track is laughable. To hear two people pat themselves on the back for such a horrible, void of entertainment disaster like this is simply hilarious. This release also includes some outtakes, deleted scenes, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
