Since the first film took place in Los Angeles and the second was set in China, where else could the third go but France? Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) gets caught up protecting his friend, the Chinese ambassador - this time from an assassination. The Triad Society, the largest and most secretive criminal organization in the world, has marked the ambassador, Lee, and Detective Carter (Tucker) for death. Lee and Carter’s investigation lead them to Paris, where the secret of whatever Shi-Shen is, may protect them or put them in greater danger.
While there are a few worthwhile stunts in the film, including an interesting car chase with kung fu, most of the sequences are cut short before the excitement is able to build. The same can be said about the humor - that the jokes are over before they can register and cascade over the audience. Tucker does not seem as animated in his role as before, leaving viewers much less enthused. Chan’s good guy image is beginning to wear thin, as he always chooses the moral thing which leads him into unnecessary dangers. The final stunt is rather unbelievable - even in the context of an action comedy - and the ending is unnecessarily drawn out. When the bloopers during the credits are the funniest part of “Rush Hour 3”, that is a sad indicator of how low the quality of the series has sunk.
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language.
