Rush Hour
1998/97 mins.
Released by New Line Cinema
Rated PG-13
Starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Chris Penn, and Elizabeth Pena
Directed by Brett Ratner
Format: Single Sided/Dual Layered; Film is presented in Widescreen format
Reviewed by Robby Cox
E-mail koi@magicnet.net

*****************************************************************************
Opening Remarks: I'll say it again I love Jackie Chan films. Rush Hour looked very interesting and I must admit that I watched the trailer, found on the Mr. Nice Guy DVD, over and over. So the day of this disc's release, I ran to the store and bought it.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Movie Quality: Rush Hour leaves me a little torn between two sides. On one side, this is probably the best written Jackie Chan film that I have seen, but it's certainly not the best Jackie Chan film that I have ever seen. The plot is great and as I said the writing is good, but the fights and especially the stunts leave a lot to be desired. Think about Jackie's landmark stunts like the bus chase in Police Story, the helicopter ride in Supercop, the falling building in Project A II, the clock stunt in Project A, the fiery coals fight in Drunken Master 2, and how about the saw fighting scene in Mr. Nice Guy. These are awesome, now think about the stuff in Rush Hour...Do you remember anything that even remotely comes close? No. Now don't get me wrong, Rush Hour is an enjoyable romp and it is very funny. Chris Tucker is hilarious but Jackie Chan plays a rather robotic role just about like Sammo Hung's role on Martial Law. This is not the best role for Mr. Chan. Let me make this clear, this is a great movie. It's just not a great Jackie Chan movie.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Video Quality: This disc looks great. New Line always does a great job with their DVDs and this disc is no exception. The video is clear and crisp and the colors are nice and bright. The film is presented in it's original Widescreen theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and it looks very nice. I just read that director Brett Ratner spent weeks fine tuning the transfer and I think that it shows.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Sound Quality: This disc sounds outstanding. The music is loud and clear, but never gets in the way of the dialogue. The sound fx are great and the surround fx are very nice.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Extras: This disc is a New Line Platinum Series disc and it shows. This disc has an Audio Commentary by the director Brett Ratner, an Isolated Score and Commentary Track by the composer Lalo Schifrin, quite a few Deleted scenes, Behind The Scenes Featurette, Cast & Crew Biographies and Filmographies, Original Theatrical Trailer, Brett Ratner's Student Film "Whatever Happened To Mason Reece" with a Commentary Track, a Brett Ratner Amateur Film with a Commentary Track(This short film is hidden and will require you to play around with the title button on your remote control), 2 Music Videos with Commentary Tracks-Dru Hill "How Deep Is Your Love" and Heavy D "Nothin' But Love". That's a lot of extras for a realtively cheap disc($20). These extras definitely make this disc something special.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Improve: Let Jackie do more wild stuff in the sequel.

RIYL: Here are some classic Jackie Chan films-Project A II, City Hunter, Rumble In The Bronx, Supercop, Police Story, Police Story 2, Jackie Chan's First Strike, Dragons Forever, Wheels On Meals, Armor Of God, Jackie Chan's Who Am I?, and Mr. Nice Guy.
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
Overall Opinion: As I stated earlier, don't check this movie out to see a cool Jackie Chan film, becuase you will be disappointed. It is a great movie, but I've seen better Jackie Chan films. This disc is a winner because the film looks and sounds great and there is also a wealth of supplements that will keep you busy for quite a while. This disc is a must own.
*****************************************************************************

Movie Quality: *****
Video Quality: *****
Sound Quality: *****
Extras: *****
Personal Opinion: *****
Total: 25 out of 25

Final Score: 100 %