Though part of me can’t believe in its actual existence, I heard a rumor that Rush Hour 3 is actually coming out later this summer, so to “swoll” the archives, as the kids (probably don’t) say, comes this re-posting of Rush Hour 2 on DVD, originally published upon its release… what was that, six years ago? Wow. To wit:
In a way, I may be colored by my friend’s prior
interpretation of the film, but watching Rush
Hour 2 I did indeed feel like it was a throwback to those old ’80s buddy
movies, when fleeing villains scaled bamboo latticework (just ’cuz) and heroes
kicked their way through elaborately choreographed fight sequences while
wearing nothing more than a towel wrapped around their waist. Rush Hour 2’s plot is utterly ridiculous
(a smuggling ring, some counterfeit money, revenge for a father’s death and
Zhang Ziyi kicking ass), but it’s hard to take seriously or bear much animosity
toward a movie in which one of the main characters moves the story along by
elucidating his theory of investigation thusly: “Follow the rich white man.” So
Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and his mouthy Western counterpart, Detective James
Carter (Chris Tucker), bop from
Angeles
of the principals will be suitably entertained, others by degrees less so.
New Line’s Infinifilm DVD release, though, really decks out
the title with a slew of extras. For those unfamiliar with this line, pop-up
menus allow access to content specifically relating to given scenes on the
screen, interstitial micro-docs on everything from the fashion of the film to
the rehearsals for its action sequences. There are also a bunch of other supplemental features, including animated scene selection, an audio commentary track with director Brett Ratner and writer
Jeff Nathanson, Ratner’s student film Lady
Luck, a script-to-screen function, deleted scenes and five minutes of
outtakes. Graphically, the layout for the special features is a bit cramped,
but the menu does include running times for each option, which is a helpful
bonus. C (Movie) B+ (Disc)