Even Jackie Chan Thinks ‘Rush Hour’ Sucked
Posted by J.L. Sosa (jorge@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 1, 2007
Jackie Chan strikes me as one of the nicest guys in the entertainment business, but his recent public comments on the “Rush Hour” series seem disarmingly honest, even for him.
On his official blog at JackieChan.com, he wrote “When we finished filming (the first “Rush Hour”), I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn’t appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved.”
Chan continued, “I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn’t understand the American humor. But to my surprise, this movie was exceptionally successful in the box office and results were very pleasing.”
Has the franchise improved with age? Chan and countless others with decent taste in movies can answer that one.
“Personally, I thought this movie (”Rush Hour 3″) was no different from Rush Hour 1 & 2,” he wrote. “Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me … I spent 4 months making this film and I still don’t fully understand the humor.”
Chan said this could be due to cultural misunderstanding, but shit, I’m not Chinese and I don’t think that “Rush Hour” was that funny either.
Chan reverted to his typical nice guy mode later, writing, “I absolutely enjoyed making this movie and I put a lot of effort into this film. Anyway, when I make an American movie, I make it for the European and American audience, not for the Jackie Chan audience in Asia or the Jackie Chan audience around the world.”
I admire Chan for telling it like it is. I just wish everyone in Hollywood was as bullshit-free.
Read more articles by J.L. Sosa
