Jackie Chan says he isn’t a fan of his successful ‘Rush Hour’ series
HONG KONG (AP) – It’s the movie that put Jackie Chan in the major league in the U.S., but the Hong Kong star isn’t a fan of his successful action comedy franchise “Rush Hour.”
Chan said when he made the first installment of the “Rush Hour” series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn’t have high hopes.
“When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn’t appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn’t understand the American humor,” Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.
The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an “irresistible” amount of money to do it and made the third installment, which was released recently, to satisfy fans of the series.
Chan said “Rush Hour 3” was no different from the first two installments for him.
“Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me … I spent four months making this film and I still don’t fully understand the humor,” he said, adding the comedic scenes may be lost on Asian audiences as well.
Chan’s comments came even though the “Rush Hour” series, which revolves around the racial humor stemming from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and a black (Chris Tucker) police officer, helped the action star cross over to mainstream American audiences.
“Rush Hour” was Chan’s first movie to break US$100 million (€70.53 million) at the U.S. box office, earning US$141 million (€99.4 million), according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo. “Rush Hour 2” made US$226 million (€160 million) and “Rush Hour 3” has earned US$137 million (€97 million) so far.
Chan has been known to be blase about his Hollywood work. He said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press that he uses the high salary he earns in the U.S. to fund Chinese-language projects that he’s truly interested in.
He also recently showed little enthusiasm for his latest Hollywood project, “The Forbidden Kingdom,” which marks his first on-screen collaboration with fellow action star Jet Li.
“The movie I just shot with Jet Li, ‘The Forbidden Kingdom,’ actually isn’t that great,” Chan was quoted as saying by the Web site of China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
“‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is a movie made for Americans,” the report quoted Chan as saying. “Chinese viewers may not like it. If I say it’s a good movie now, then many people will be filled with overly high expectations and be disappointed when they see the movie.”
INTERVIEW: Jackie Chan bashes “Rush Hour”, “The Tuxedo”, Owen Wilson, Chris Tucker?!
By Cam Mason in Los Angeles
How did you feel about using wire work in THE TUXEDO?
Jackie Chan- For me it’s different, I am getting tired of doing the same stuff. I always tell my manager, please tell the studio, give me something like Kramer vs. Kramer, some drama. I get so many scripts like Rush Hour, no, two cops I don’t like that movie, ‘Jackie please try, do something American’ okay, success. Oh okay, even though I don’t like it. Rush Hour 2, I hate it. I want to do something new, something pure drama.
Why do you hate Rush Hour?
J-The action, compared to my Hong Kong film is terrible. The dialogue, I don’t understand. Rush Hour is a big success in America, but if you check the Asian market, nobody went to see it. Nobody understands it. These last few years I am slowly learning American culture and what an American audience likes.
Do you think there can be a crossover film? Do you think there is a film that both audiences will like?
J-No, like nobody in Asia liked CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. We’ve been making those kinds of movies for thirty years.
What drew you to THE TUXEDO?
J-I don’t like THE TUXEDO, I don’t like the story. The only thing I like is Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks. Everything I speak is the truth. I wanted to try something new, that’s the first step for me. I don’t know if the audience is going to like it or not. My older audience watch the American films and they don’t like it, the new audience are excited about it. I have two kinds of audience: the audience that has been watching me for twenty years and the new audience. The new audience looks back now.
What were some of the challenges in stunt scenes in the movie?
J- A lot of people misunderstand, stunts are easy. Most of the time it’s safe. So many people protect you and there are wires. Most of the time I get injured it’s with detailed things.
What was it like doing the stunt scenes with Jennifer Love Hewitt? Like the scene with the cup?
J-She was injured, that’s why we did the cup scene. It is a bit of comedy there, and then I do the boom boom boom. When I choreograph the fight scenes, I know which part is important and which part is unimportant. At the end we have a lot of fights, and at the beginning we have a lot of fights, but some of the fight scenes were cut. Probably the studio said this is a family movie and we have to cut some of the fight scenes. Sometimes, I really wonder can I have the final cut. Sometimes it really makes me frustrated, we work so many days, and sometimes people get hurt and in the end one cut and its gone.
How do you like working with American actors?
J-Good I am getting used to it. Jennifer Love Hewitt is better than Chris Tucker and better than Owen Wilson. She’s so sexy, but I didn’t know five months ago, because every morning I see her come to the set yawning or singing.
Hmm well in a way I would have to agree with him. The first rush hour was fair but I wouldn’t want to see an second or third one but then again im not a Jackie Chan fan.
It’s cool Jackie is being honest about how he feels. But I think the audiences (at least non-chinese) like his US films more than he does. Everybody agrees the action is far below Jackie’s HK standards, and if Jackie himself doesn’t like the American humour what does that leave him to be proud of? But there’s one thing Jackie doesn’t see, which is he himself. Jackie is the reason why people watch his US films. He’s an old school movie star, people go see his movies not because of good reviews or high production values but because of the star himself.
Personally I found Rush Hour 1&2 perfectly decent films. The Shangai films were quite poor, though. Last time I tried to watch Shanghai Noon I switched over to Drunken Master 2 after 25 minutes. I only finished Shanghai Knights because there was a pretty chinese girl in it, and I had heard Jackie and Donnie would fight at the end. Wasn’t worth the wait…
Rush Hour 3 and The Tuxedo I haven’t seen but I think The Medallion is slightly under-rated. It’s an incomprehensible mess but kinda fun at that. By no means a good movie but not too boring either in it’s “badness” (I hate that expression… if I enjoy it then it’s not bad anymore, no matter how the entertainment was achieved). Around the World in 80 Days had an awful beginning but I somewhat enjoyed the rest with all the cameos and references to Jackie’s HK films.
“The movie I just shot with Jet Li, ‘The Forbidden Kingdom,’ actually isn’t that great,” Chan was quoted as saying by the Web site of China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
"‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is a movie made for Americans," the report quoted Chan as saying. “Chinese viewers may not like it. If I say it’s a good movie now, then many people will be filled with overly high expectations and be disappointed when they see the movie.”[/i]
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The movie producers are probably delighted with Jackie’s promotion of the film. ;D IMO, that’s not a very professional thing to say before a movie opens. He just spat in the face of whoever shelled out his hard-earned money so that it gets made. Jackie should have just refused to do it in the first place if he thought the film would have sucked.
I have seen like 95% of his movies, and I love his HK work, even those that were primarily comedys. some bad ones in there too, mainly in the 70s. i have seen ALL of his american film except for maybe 1, and I didn´t like them at all. some, like THE TUXEDO and THE MEDAILLION are painful to watch. Rumble in the Bronx was cool, but it was a US-HK co-production.
his 2004 HK effort NEW POLICE STORY left me unimpressed too.
The Rush Hour series is weak. The humour is lame! But I can say the same for New Police Story, which is embarrassingly bad. Stale action, only one good fight scene and Jackie going with the drunk bit. You can’t make the bad guys likable when they kill many good people.
I don’t like how the story says he bashes Tucker and Wilson, when he clearly doesn’t. The Forbidden Kingdom better be good! Jet Li, Chan and Yuen Wo Ping! Whens the last time they even worked together? I suppose Chan didn’t take to well to being choreographed by someone else.
Unfortunately fantasy films with a great cast, but shitty crew, usually blow.
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
I love New Police Story. I even like The Myth.
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Same, I think they are unfairly bashed.
Was it John Woo who commented on how HK good guys can be as ruthless as the bad guys, but American good guys can’t. That right there is what ruins most US martial arts outings for me.
Plus, it has a lot to do with how the films are made, stuntwise. That’s why The Roadwarrior was so popular. Because we didn’t have a studio system and we aren’t anywhere near as unionised as the US, so we just did whatever the hell we wanted to. The same applies to HK. They never discussed it or planned a totally safe way, they just did it. Workplace health and safety gets in the way. With HK cinema, the audience gets this insane unadulterated action.
Exactly. Jackie probably hasn’t even broken a finger while shooting a US film (unless Chris Tucker bit him ;D). Compare to his HK work where he’s broken every bone in his body and nearly died a few times. After Police Story (1985) he could not even get an insurance for any of his films.
"Jackie probably hasn’t even broken a finger while shooting a US film (unless Chris Tucker bit him ). Compare to his HK work where he’s broken every bone in his body and nearly died a few times."
he said that himself in an interview, practically the same words. sounded almost like he was (is) disappointed about it.
His Hollywood films are obviously more watered down stunt/danger wise compared to the HK ones he did. I really dont like any of that crap like Rush Hour, The Tuxedo, Shanghai Nights etc.
He spent his Hollywood years working with the likes of Brett Ratner, no wonder his Hollywood films are watered down. He should find more ballsy American directors to work with. (Tarantino, perhaps?)
[quote=“Scarface”]
He spent his Hollywood years working with the likes of Brett Ratner, no wonder his Hollywood films are watered down. He should find more ballsy American directors to work with. (Tarantino, perhaps?)
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Fucking Brett Ratner. Everyone likes to bash Michael Bay, but Brett Ratner is even worse. What a tool. And don’t get me started on McG. What kind of dickhead calls himself McG?
