Rush Hour 2 is the 2001 sequel to the original 1998 movie. It brings back Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan as Carter and Lee and adds Roselyn Sanchez and Zhang Ziyi (who was coming off her role in Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon). The cast is rounded out by John Lone, Alan King, Jeremy Piven, and Harris Yulin. Sharp-eyed viewers will also catch a glimpse of a young Maggie Q (who would later star in the series Nikita and Designated Survivor) in a small role. The film starts out with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Hong Kong, on the vacation they were going on at the end of the first movie. Chan's character, Lee, does nothing but work on cases, while Carter wants to relax, have fun, and hook up. They end up in the middle of a counterfeit money/money laundering ring that spans from Hong Kong back to the US.
The DVD extras again a director's commentary with Brett Ratner, deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, and the trailers. This movie is one of the few sequels that is better than the original movie. This is in part because the original was not exactly a masterpiece, so all it really had to do was improve on the formula that made the first one work. The two main additions to the case in this movie were Zhang Ziyi, who played one of the main villains of the film, and Roselyn Sanchez, who plays an undercover secret service agent. Both have a dance background which allows them to do really well in the fight scenes they are involved in, and of course, the rather gratuitous shot of Roselyn Sanchez in her underwear about halfway through the movie is not bad either.
Like the first movie, this one is a pretty formulaic buddy cop movie. The main story involves the two main characters becoming closer friends but with a somewhat cliched bit of tension thrown in. The movie does not really take itself too seriously and does a good job of balancing the big fight scenes that Chan's films are known for and Chris Tucker's comedy. Ultimately, it is a very enjoyable sequel with a good blend of action and comedy. If you liked or loved the first movie, you will probably like this one too. On the other hand, if the first movie did not do anything for you this one will not either.
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