Rush Hour 2 (DVD 2001)

The fastest hands in the East and the biggest mouth in the West join forces once more in this tepid sequel-by-numbers.

Detective Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective James Carter of the LAPD (Tucker) are both in Hong Kong when terrorists bomb the US Embassy. Lee fingers cunning Triad chief Ricky Tan (John Lone) and his deadly henchwoman Hu Li (Zhang Ziyi) as the most likely suspects.

So he organises a surveillance operation on the pair, dragging Carter along for the ride. The officers discover that Tan and billionaire tycoon Steven Reign (King) are involved in an international money laundering operation.

Joining forces with undercover Secret Service agent Isabella Molina (Sanchez), Lee and Carter initiate a daring plan to bring down Tan's evil empire.

Rush Hour 2 presumes audience familiarity with the original film, and in particular the characters and their relationships.

If you haven't seen the first Rush Hour, then some of the jokes will mean nothing at all; those that do will barely incite a chuckle.

Fisticuffs and kung fu acrobatics are disappointingly thin on the ground. In the space of 90 minutes, the pic delivers just four set-pieces and a couple of minor skirmishes.

As a result, there's quite a lot of downtime in which screenwriter Jeff Nathanson feels compelled to contrive the odd twist (glaringly obvious) or play scenes for laughs.

Many of the gags sound frighteningly familiar and there's a very real sense that much of Rush Hour 2 has been recycled from its predecessor. Chan's exuberance and natural charm are usually such a winning combination; here, he is incredibly subdued.

The actor noticeably demonstrates much more good humour and spirit in the hilarious out-takes during the end credits. Tucker is just as annoying and brash the second time around, grandstanding whenever the script allows, and Ziyi, who was so luminous in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, slums it as a two-dimensional villainess. Hardly the most auspicious start to her Hollywood career.