At the end of the first Rush Hour, which was made in 1998, Los Angeles cop Carter, Chris Tucker, makes plans to visit Hong Kong, the home base of his new buddy, Lee, Jackie Chan. The sequel takes off from there: Lee and Carter are having fun in Hong Kong when a mysterious woman delivers a letter- bomb at the American Embassy - it`s all part of a plot by the triads involving forged $100 notes. But the plot`s just an excuse for a whole series of action scenes, some set in Hong Kong, the rest in Las Vegas. These consist of spectacular battles atop a scaffolding, in a massage parlour and in and around a casino - and they are both inventive and exciting....Though Jackie Chan has slowed down a bit, he`s still tops at this sort of action comedy, and Chris Tucker as the motor-mouth American is a perfect foil. Quite a surprise is the presence of Zhang Ziyi as one of the villains - she`s come a long way since she starred in Zhang Yimou`s The Road Home, and she`s better known for her role in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Rush Hour 2 never takes itself very seriously; but director Brett Ratner, who also made the first film, knows exactly what he`s doing and does it superbly. Stay around for the hilarious outtakes which play over the final credits.
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