Rush Hour (1998)

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.

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.

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 Tucker's 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.