DVD Review

Details

Rush Hour (R1)

1 Hour 37 Minutes

Cast

Jackie Chan Detective Inspector Li
Chris Tucker Detective James Carter
Tom Wilkinson Thomas Griffin
Julia Hsu Soo Young
Elizabeth Peņa Tania Johnson
Tzi Ma Consul Han

Synopsis

Cultures clash and tempers flare as two cops from different worlds quickly discover that can't stand each other. With time running out they must join forces to catch the criminals.

Film

It is the last day of British rule in Hong Kong and the Consulate Han is to take up a new job in America. His final act in charge is to break the Junyao crime gang leaving them vowing revenge and ultimately following him and his family to America and kidnapping his daughter Soo Young.
Desperate for his daughter back he calls on his best friend Li to come to and track her down. The FBI are far from happy with the outside interference and assign a hot headed loner copper to baby sit and keep him out of the way whilst they get down to business. As usual things don't go to plan and the unlikely partnership are soon on the trail of the kidnappers and reveal the real motive behind their actions.
The image transfer is superb. With many of the scenes taking place at night the picture is pin sharp with no artifacting or graininess evident. The daylight scenes are just as good with a sharpness that only DVD can deliver. 
The sound stage is colossal with explosions, bullets and music galore around the soundstage. The channel separation is superb and makes it a perfect demonstration disc giving any system a serious workout. Many films neglect the rear channel, especially when it comes down to the musical score, but there are no disappointments here.
Jackie Chan has thrived on the low budget Hong Kong action films and it is good to see him appearing in more Hollywood blockbusters. It is just a pity that he is not more involved with his brilliant fighting skill as the film is basically for Chris Tuckers benefit.
The combination of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker is just right, it is even better than the lethal weapon partnership of Gibson and Glover and I'm sure many sequels will follow. With Tuckers perfect comical lines and timing plus Chan's fighting techniques it is fantastic comedy/action film not to be missed.
There are plenty of extras to keep the film buffs happy, and it is interesting to see a separate audio commentary from the composer Lalo Schifrin. Just look out for the outtakes at the end of the film.

Extras

  • Audio Commentary by Director Brett Ratner
  • Isolated Score with Commentary by Composer Lalo Schifrin
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Original Featurette - "A Piece of the Action"
  • Cast and Crew Biographies
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Short Film - "Whatever Happened To Mason Reese?"
  • "How Deep Is Your Love" Music Video By Dru Hill
  • "Nuttin' But Love" Music Video By Heavy D
  • DVD-ROM Enhanced
Reviewed by: Simon
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