Rush Hour 3

Motor-mouthed LAPD cop Carter (Chris Tucker) and ace Hong Kong cop Lee (Jackie Chan) team up again for a third outing, this time chasing Chinese Triad gangsters all over Paris. The trouble begins when Lee's old pal Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) is seriously wounded in an assassination attempt before he's able to reveal key information about the Triads. Said information has been written down and entrusted to Han's beautiful daughter Soo Yung (Zhang Jingchu), who thus becomes the gang's next target. Several chases and fight scenes later, things come to a head atop the Eiffel Tower, where Carter and Lee engage in a showdown to rescue the girl and expose the none-too-mysterious villain behind these depredations. Director Brett Ratner's by-the-numbers sequel shamelessly recycles gags and gimmicks from the first two films, without paying much attention to incidentals such as plot. The 53-year-old Chan is no longer capable of the eye-popping stunts that made him an international action-movie star, and in Rush Hour 3 he's doubled and has his athletic feats enhanced with wire work and CGI. Fans of the series may still appreciate, but this is disappointing, overall. Optional. [Note: Available in either single or two-disc versions, DVD extras on this two-disc “platinum series” set include an audio commentary by director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson, an 88-minute “making-of” documentary, a “Le Rush Hour Trois” production diary (65 min.), seven deleted scenes w/optional commentary (7 min.), three minutes of outtakes, a two-minute “Visual Effects Reel,” and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so three-quel.] (E. Hulse)