Jackie Chan seems to have an endless capacity for turning out enjoyable action films. His flicks seem to come by the dozen from his native Hong Kong; they're always mindless, they're always harmless and they're always fun. After the success of Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour II proves once again that Chan is all the more entertaining when paired with an American co-star and given a Hollywood-sized production budget.
Chris Tucker carries a lot of weight in this movie. He seems to have taken the jive-talking torch over from Eddie Murphy. A few of his one-liners made me laugh out loud, and his phony Kung Fu combat antics were also highly amusing.
If anything, Jackie Chan is under-used in Rush Hour II. Which is not to say he doesn't kick butt; he always does plenty of that. But those who have followed his past masterworks will note that his stunts are a little subdued, compared to those in, say, Rumble In The Bronx or Supercop. (That's okay, though. At that pace, being his own stunt man, he was bound to get killed, sooner or later.)
The film tends to focus a little more on dialogue and interplay between the characters. In this genre, that could be a terrible mistake, but they seem to get away with it, here. Tucker and Chan have good chemistry, and they're helped out by Zhang Zi-Yi and Roselyn Sanchez. The sight of those two makes two hours pass by like nothing! There's also a few good explosions to keep this pyrophile's toes wiggling.
In summary, Rush Hour is no classic, but it's a fully worthy sequel to the original Rush Hour. As a matter of fact, I'd say it's better. The thrills and the laughs promised were delivered in full, and I'm always glad to see that.