''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...

and written by Jeff Nathanson. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' franchise and stars

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

and Chris Tucker reprising their roles from the first film. The story follows Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Detective James Carter (Tucker), who go to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

on vacation only to be thwarted by a murder case involving two U.S. customs agents after a bombing at the American embassy. Lee suspects that the crime is linked to the Triad crime lord Ricky Tan (Lone). ''Rush Hour 2'' opened on August 3, 2001, to generally mixed reviews. The film was a commercial success, grossing $347.4 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise. It also became the year's fifth-highest-grossing film domestically in the United States, as well as the second-highest-grossing PG-13-rated film. A sequel, ''

Rush Hour 3 ''Rush Hour 3'' is a 2007 American Buddy Cop film, buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Jeff Nathanson. It is the third installment in the Rush Hour (franchise), ''Rush Hour'' franchise and sequel to ''Rush Hour 2'' ...

'', was released on August 10, 2007.

Plot

A few years after rescuing a Chinese diplomat's daughter,

Detective James Carter is in

on vacation with his friend,

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the one c ...

Chief Inspector Lee. His vacation is put on hold when a bomb at the US Consulate General kills two undercover US Customs agents. Lee is assigned to the case and discovers that his late father's police partner, Ricky Tan, is somehow involved. Lee and Carter attempt to question Ricky, now a Triad leader, at a massage parlor, resulting in a brawl with his bodyguards forcing Lee and Carter to flee through Hong Kong while completely naked. The U.S. Secret Service, led by Agent Sterling, and the Hong Kong Police Force fight over jurisdiction of the case. Lee's office is bombed and Lee, unaware Carter has left the building, believes him dead. They reunite at a party on Ricky's yacht, where Ricky scolds his underling, Hu Li. Lee and Carter confront Ricky, who claims he is being framed by his enemies and asks for protection, but Hu Li shoots him and escapes. Sterling holds Lee responsible for Ricky's death and orders him off the case. Carter is ordered back to Los Angeles, but convinces Lee to return to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with him after realizing how personal this case is for Lee after he reveals Tan's history with his father, leading up until his death. Carter assures Lee that every large criminal operation has a rich white man behind it; in this case, he believes that man is Steven Reign, a

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

Los Angeles hotelier he saw acting suspiciously at Ricky Tan's party. Staking out Reign Towers, they spot Isabella Molina, whom Carter met on Ricky's yacht, receiving a delivery from Hu Li. Mistaking the package for another bomb, Lee and Carter try to intervene, but Molina reveals she is an undercover U.S. Secret Service agent, looking into Reign's laundering of $100 million in superdollars, with the only difference being that they burn with a red color unlike real dollars. Lee and Carter visit Kenny, an ex-con, now Carter's informant who runs a gambling den in the back of his Chinese restaurant. He tells them about a customer with a suspicious amount of hundred-dollar bills, which Carter confirms are Reign's counterfeits. They trace the money to a bank, where they are captured by Hu Li and the Triads. Taken to Las Vegas in a Triad truck, Lee and Carter escape, realizing that Reign is laundering the $100 million through his new Red Dragon Casino. At the Red Dragon, Molina points Lee to the engraving plates used to print the counterfeit money, while Carter creates a distraction to help Lee sneak past security. Hu Li captures Lee, taping a Ying Tao grenade in his mouth before bringing him to Ricky, who is still alive. When Ricky departs, Molina tries to arrest Hu Li but is shot, and Lee and Carter manage to remove the grenade before Hu Li detonates it, evacuating the casino. Carter fights Hu Li, accidentally knocking her out with a

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

, while Lee pursues Ricky. In the casino's penthouse, Reign prepares to escape with the plates but Ricky fatally stabs him. Lee and Carter confront Ricky, who admits to killing Lee's father. In the ensuing scuffle, Ricky falls to his death when Lee accidentally kicks him out of a window, avenging Lee's father's death. Hu Li enters the room with a time bomb, forcing Lee and Carter to escape on a makeshift zip line as Hu Li dies in the explosion. Later at McCarran International Airport, Sterling and Molina thank Lee for his work on the case and Molina kisses him. Planning to go their separate ways when Lee gives Carter his late father's police badge after finally finding closure for his father's death, Lee and Carter change their minds when Carter reveals the large amount of money he won at Caesar's Palace. The pair head to New York City to indulge themselves while performing a victory dance to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".

Cast

as Chief Inspector Lee, a Hong Kong cop. He invites Carter to Hong Kong for a vacation but accepts a case involving Ricky Tan, the man who killed his father. * Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter, an LAPD detective who is in Hong Kong for vacation but quickly becomes entangled in an international investigation. * Zhang Ziyi as Hu Li, a Triad assassin and enforcer. *

Roselyn Sánchez Roselyn Milagros Sánchez Rodríguez (born April 2, 1973) is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer, and writer. On television, she is best known for her roles as Elena Delgado on the CBS police procedural ''Without ...

as Agent Isabella Molina of the Secret Service. She is working undercover, posing as a corrupt agent while also enlisting Lee and Carter to help her stop the Triads. * John Lone as Ricky Tan, a Triad gangster working with Steven Reign. * Alan King as Steven Reign, a corrupt Los Angeles businessman in league with the Triads to use his new casino to launder counterfeit money. *

Harris Yulin Harris Bart Goldberg (November 5, 1937 – June 10, 2025), known professionally as Harris Yulin, was an American actor who appeared in over a hundred film and television series roles, such as '' Night Moves'' (1975; filmed in 1973) with Gene Hack ...

as Special Agent-In-Charge Sterling * Kenneth Tsang as Captain Chin The cast also includes Maggie Q as a young woman Carter unsuccessfully flirts with, Ernie Reyes Jr. as Zing, Jeremy Piven as a

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

salesman, Saul Rubinek a casino box man, Joel McKinnon Miller as Tex, and Gianni Russo as a pit boss, all have

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (, ; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Don Cheadle, multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award ...

makes an uncredited appearance as Kenny, the owner of a Chinese restaurant in L.A. that also houses an illegal gambling den.

Production

Filming

Filming took place between December 11, 2000 and April 30, 2001.

Fake-money controversy

The prop masters for the film created approximately $1trillion in fake money to be used as props in the film. The money was realistic enough that some of the film's extras pocketed it and attempted to spend it illegally outside of the production, which led to said fake money being confiscated and destroyed by the U.S. Secret Service.

Music

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

returned to compose the score for the film. According to him, "The music for ''Rush Hour 2'' is completely different from ''Rush Hour''. The first 20–30 seconds of the main title is a reprise of the music from ''Rush Hour'' – but that's it." He said that Ratner had requested a "symphonic score", which he incidentally found suitable for ''Rush Hour 2'':

For the sequel, he asked me to do a symphonic score. It was bigger than life – like an epic score. I ignored the comedy – the actors took care of that. I played to the chases and the danger. It's a serious score in the sense of an "epic" score, like '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' or an
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...
film. Also, you must realize that the symphony orchestra allows many more possibilities.
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
didn't need a rhythm section to "drive". I was able to create a lot of energy without the use of drums and electric guitars and all that.

Schifrin performed the ''Rush Hour 2'' score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Varèse Sarabande released the soundtrack album on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

in August 2001. In a 2001 interview with Dan Goldwasser for Soundtrack.Net, Schifrin was asked whether he would score ''

'', and he stated: "Oh, I'm not a prophet!" By 2007, he began composing the score for ''Rush Hour 3'', which , is his last motion picture score.

Release

Before its August 3 release, ''Rush Hour 2'' premiered on July 26, 2001, on-board the

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

Flight 1 from

renamed, "The Rush Hour Express". The Hong Kong Board of Tourism teamed up with United Airlines and New Line Cinema in a campaign that offered both trailers for the movie for passengers on all domestic United flights during July and August reaching an expected three million people, as well as Hong Kong travel videos to inspire tourists to visit the country where the film was set.

Box office

''Rush Hour 2'' earned $226.2 million in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and an estimated $121.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $347.4 million (surpassing ''Rush Hour'' and ''Rush Hour 3''s worldwide box-office receipts). The film was ranked number one during its opening weekend, grossing $67.4 million at 3,118 locations. The film stayed in the Top 10 until October 11 (10 weeks total). It became one of the four 2001 films to generate $60 million in their first three days of release, with the others being '' Monsters, Inc.'', '' The Mummy Returns'' and ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

''. The film also had the fourth-highest opening weekend of all time, behind the latter two films and '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. Additionally, ''Rush Hour 2'' achieved two other records during its opening weekend, beating '' The Sixth Sense'' for having the biggest August opening weekend and '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' for scoring the largest opening weekend for a

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

film. The August opening weekend record would be held for six years before being surpassed by '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' in 2007. ''Rush Hour 2'' would hold the record for having the highest opening weekend for a comedy film until 2002 when ''

Austin Powers in Goldmember ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldme ...

'' surpassed it. Despite being overtaken by '' American Pie 2'', the film made $31.5 million during its second weekend. It was 2001's second-highest-grossing rated PG-13 film and the 11th highest-grossing film worldwide. ''Rush Hour 2'' surpassed the 1984 film '' The Karate Kid'' as the highest-grossing

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

action film, and was ranked as the second-highest-grossing buddy comedy film, behind the 1997 film ''

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have ...

''. The film was also ranked as the third-highest-grossing second installment in a live action comedy film franchise (behind the 2004 film '' Meet the Fockers'' and the 2011 film '' The Hangover Part II'').

Reception

Reviews for ''Rush Hour 2'' were mixed. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on 128 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus states that the film "doesn't feel as fresh or funny as the first, and the stunts lack some of the intricacy normally seen in Chan's films." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a score of 48 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

during ''Rush Hour 2'' opening weekend gave the film an average grade of A on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave it one and half stars out of a possible four, calling Chris Tucker "an anchor around the ankles of the humor" in the movie. Conversely Robert Koehler of Variety called it a "superior sequel" and "the very model of the limber, transnational Hollywood action comedy".

Awards

''Rush Hour 2'' earned 27 award nominations and 10 wins, including an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight, a Teen Choice Award for Film-Choice Actor, Comedy, and 3 Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Movie Actor for Tucker, Favorite Male Butt Kicker for Chan, and Favorite Movie.

Sequel

Because of various issues during development hell and production, ''Rush Hour 3'' wasn't released until August 10, 2007; six years after ''Rush Hour 2''. ''Rush Hour 3'' failed to receive the critical and commercial acclaim of its predecessors, but was still a box office success.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Brett Ratner 2001 films 2001 action comedy films 2001 martial arts films 2000s American films 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s buddy cop films 2000s English-language films 2000s martial arts comedy films American action comedy films American buddy comedy films American buddy cop films American martial arts comedy films American police detective films American sequel films Films about counterfeit money Films about the Los Angeles Police Department Films about the United States Secret Service Films directed by Brett Ratner Films produced by Roger Birnbaum Films scored by Lalo Schifrin Films set in 1997 Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Hong Kong Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Hong Kong Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley Films with screenplays by Jeff Nathanson Impact of the September 11 attacks on cinema Kung fu films New Line Cinema films Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award–winning films Rush Hour (franchise) Triad films English-language crime films English-language action comedy films English-language thriller films English-language buddy comedy films