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Buddy cop films had become a thing of the past by 1998 when Brett Ratner’s blockbusterRush Hourcame to the forefront. Both critics and viewers agreed that the success of any buddy cop movie depends on the quality of its lead actors because the genre was well-established. However, the film that launched Jackie Chan’s career as an international star did not exactly appeal to him.
The 69-year-old actor once admitted that he was not a huge fan of theRush Hourmovies. He stated in a previous interview that he was not sure the American audience would even enjoy the film.
In addition, theDrunken Masteractor never truly felt at ease withRush Hour.
He was a well-known action/comedy star in Hong Kong for many years and believed he had a grasp of how the genre functions. Though, he just did not findRush Houramusing, to put it simply.
Also read:Jackie Chan Confessed He Failed Miserably at Box Office After Trying to Copy Bruce Lee’s Fighting Style
Jackie Chan’s Conflicting Experiences While FilmingRush Hour
Lights, camera, action (Jackie Chan)!
Jackie Chanis a well-known martial arts expert and a legendary action star who has mesmerized audiences with his incredible agility and unmatched actions. However, there was a time when the cast and crew ofRush Hourfound themselves laughing uncontrollably at the actor’s dialogue, which eventually confused him.
Chan is a world-renowned actor whose native tongue is Cantonese. ButRush Hourrequired him to deliver dialogues in English, which complicated his performance further. He once explained why he was not the biggest fan ofRuch Hourfilm by saying:
“On the set, I don’t understand, they speak English so fast. I was like, ‘what’.” And after I say it, everybody is laughing, I still don’t understand.”
He continued by describing why he was forced to shoot fewer action scenes, even though he wanted to do more of them:
“They said, ‘No more actions as we have no enough time and had to go home sleep. Union work, union rule.’”
The Big Brawl,a 1980 movie starring Jackie Chan, was his first Hollywood production. Yet, Chief Inspector Lee fromRush Hourwas his most well-known performance.
Also read:“All the scripts I receive are about the police”: Jackie Chan Hated America for Seeing Him Only as a Martial Artist
Did HeNot Like The FirstRush HourFilm?
In 1998,Rush Hour,the first film in theRush Hourseries, was released. The film had a $33-35 million budget, but it made about $244 million worldwide. Even though it was a hit, Jackie Chan later admitted he was not a big fan of the movie. He discussed the movie in an interview that was conducted in June 2001, saying,
“When I made Rush Hour, I looked at the film and I didn’t really like it. Another one of my films that is not appealing to the American market. I thought Rush Hour could do well in the American market, but I don’t think so at that time. At the time, I didn’t know about American humor. So when I looked at it [the film] by myself I was not sure. Then I return to Asia to make my own film and boom, Rush Hour is a big success. I just don’t understand why.”
The reason Chan thought less highly of theRush Hourmovies than of some of his other films is likely due to cultural differences.
He also observed that he had approachedRush Hourwith“a Chinese mind.” He further claimed to have no understanding of “American culture” or“American dialogue,”which were crucial to the comedic tone of these films.
Well, theRush Hourseries enjoyed tremendous box office success. Chan’s highest-grossing movie at the time in the US was the first movie, which brought in over $244 million globally.
Rush Hour 2(2001) andRush Hour 3(2007), the sequels, also did well at the box office, earning over $347 million and $258 million globally, respectively.
you’re able to watchRush Hour,which is streaming on Netflix, Max
Related:Jackie Chan Called MCU “Fools” for Choosing Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man: “No one hires me”
Source-Late Night Talks
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
