The Rush Hour trilogy of films were among the most successful action movies of the 1990s and 2000s. Starring comedian and actor Chris Tucker as the smart-mouthed Detective James Carter and martial arts legend Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee, the films saw the mismatched duo take on criminals in the US and Hong Kong.
All three films were directed by Brett Ratner, and the concept was created by screenwriter Ross LaManna, though a different writing team was responsible for the script on the two follow-up movies.
Released in 1998, the first Rush Hour film had a budget of just $35 million and went on to make $245 million at the box office worldwide, with the trilogy making almost $850 million overall. Little wonder that the stars are keen to explore the possibility of a fourth Rush Hour movie!
15 Brett Ratner Flew To South Africa To Persuade Jackie Chan To Come On Board
Director Brett Ratner was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood at the time the Rush Hour films were being made, and he was determined to make sure that Jackie Chan signed up to play the role of Chief Inspector Lee. He even flew to South Africa for just one day, to persuade Chan to sign onto the movie.
14 The Film Included References To Chan's Hong Kong Movies
Ratner was a big fan of the martial arts legend, who was already a huge star thanks to Hong Kong movies such as Mr. Nice Guy and Police Story. In fact, there are a few nods to Chan’s Hong Kong career in the Rush Hour movies, in the shape of lines and gags that true fans of his earlier work would immediately recognize.
13 Eddie Murphy Was The First Choice To Play Detective Carter
While the Rush Hour team was determined to get Jackie Chan on board, they were less convinced about having Chris Tucker play Detective Carter. In fact, Eddie Murphy was the first choice, but he turned down the role, while Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were also considered before Tucker was approached.
12 The Karaoke Bar Scene In Rush Hour 2 Was Inspired By A Real Party
In Rush Hour 2, there is an iconic scene in a Hong Kong karaoke bar, in which Tucker (as Detective Carter) gets up and sings the Michael Jackson hit Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough. This scene was inspired by an actual visit to a karaoke bar after filming on Rush Hour had finished, where Tucker sang MJ hits all night.
11 Chan Didn't Like It When Tucker Improvised Lines
As a stand-up comedian, Chris Tucker is used to thinking on his feet, and he loved to improvise on the set of the Rush Hour films. Jackie Chan was not a big fan of his improvisation, however, as he would often find it difficult to understand what Tucker was saying when he deviated away from the planned script.
10 Rush Hour Is The First Film In Which Chan Himself Speaks English
It was hardly surprising that Tucker’s improvisation made Chan so nervous; Rush Hour was the first film in which the martial arts star had learned lines in English. Previous films, such as Rumble in the Bronx, had seen Chan learn his lines phonetically, but Ratner was determined not to go down that route.
9 Tucker Was Worried About The Language Barrier With Jackie Chan
Chan may have been nervous about his first big English-language movie, but his co-star Chris Tucker was also concerned that the language barrier between them might affect their working relationship. While there were some misunderstandings along the way, it seems that the two eventually formed a great bond on and offset, which was a big factor in the films’ successes.
8 Chan Said That Tucker Actually Helped To Improve His English
Working in the language every day really improved Jackie Chan’s spoken English, opening up many more Hollywood opportunities for him. In fact, despite Tucker’s concerns about the language barrier, it was often he who would help Jackie with difficult words or complicated sentences, making sure that he pronounced them correctly.
7 George Cheung Appeared In The Original Film And The TV Reboot
Fans may be waiting with bated breath for Rush Hour 4, but there has already been a TV reboot of the classic film franchise. Starring Justin Hires and Jon Foo, one of the episodes featured a guest appearance by Hong Kong action star George Cheung, who also had small roles in Rush Hour and Rush Hour 3.
6 Don Cheadle Only Agreed To Appear In Rush Hour 2 If He Got To Fight Chan
Don Cheadle made a cameo appearance in Rush Hour 2 as Kenny, an ex-con who also happens to speak fluent Chinese and who is skilled in martial arts. He would only take the role, however, if he was given the chance to fight Jackie Chan on screen, which led to the addition of a short scene where the two were seen sparring with each other.
5 Chan Devised And Performed All His Own Stunts
First and foremost, Chan is a talented martial arts fighter, and he always insists on doing his own stunts, whether they involve hand-to-hand fights or more unusual maneuvers, such as the scene in Rush Hour when Chan walks across a beam in the ceiling of a building, before trying to hang on while being attached by the villain.
4 Jackie Chan Was Surprised By The Stunt Precautions On Set
Having been used to working in Hong Kong, Chan found it amusing the Rush Hour team took so many precautions when they were setting up stunts. In one scene, Chan was supposed to climb to a window thirty feet up the side of a building, and was surprised that the crew built scaffolding for him!
3 Elizabeth Pena Pranked The Crew By Wearing Nothing But Her Bomb Proof Vest On Set
Actress Elizabeth Pena played fellow cop Detective Tania Thompson in the first Rush Hour film, and while the movie may have been a comedy, it seems that not everyone appreciated her sense of humor. In one scene, when her character was supposed to enter wearing a bomb proof vest, she pranked the cast and crew by walking on set wearing nothing but a bomb proof vest!
2 The Crew Had The Eiffel Tower To Themselves For A Week For Rush Hour 3
The movies may have been mainly set in Hong Kong and the States, but in Rush Hour 3, Chan and Tucker ended up in Europe, chasing a bad guy up the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The cast and crew got special access to the iconic landmark and had the Eiffel Tower to themselves for a whole week while they were filming.
1 Rush Hour Was The Inspiration Behind The Movie Website Rotten Tomatoes
The movie review site Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most reliable ways of figuring out if a movie is any good, and Rush Hour was the inspiration for its creation. US student Senh Duong was a big fan of Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong movies and created the site to collect reviews of his work when it was announced that he was going to be starring in Rush Hour.