Brett Ratner’s 1998 buddy-cop classic Rush Hour hit theaters on September 18, 1998, to positive critical reception and an eventual 244 million dollar worldwide box office gross. The comedy follows Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, played by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, respectively, as they rescue the daughter of one of Lee’s friends. Known for performing dangerous and complex stunts himself, Jackie Chan is an international star and has been for over forty years. Around Rush Hour’s release, Chris Tucker’s popularity rose exponentially with performances in Friday, Dead Presidents, Money Talks, and The Fifth Element turning the stand-up comedian-turned-actor into one of Hollywood’s most bankable entertainers.
A buddy-cop movie can’t work without the authenticity and appeal of its two leads. The Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and Jump Street films were successful primarily because of the stars leading each project. Rush Hour is no different in this regard, and the franchise performed so well at the box office and is remembered fondly by audiences because of the surprisingly great chemistry between Chan and Tucker. Chan’s fast fists and Tucker’s motor mouth captivated audiences and consistently amazed us with the unconventional duo’s onscreen presence and flair with each installment. With the ever-present rumors of a Rush Hour 4, we’ll look at the principal cast and characters from the first installment in the beloved buddy-cop franchise.
12 John Hawkes as Stucky
Stucky is a petty criminal and one of Detective Carter’s informants. Although the character’s appearance in the film is brief, his involvement in Rush Hour is pivotal as he nearly gives Carter an invaluable tip regarding the rescue of Consul Han’s daughter before Carter is distracted by Lee.
Character actor John Hawkes is typically cast as a criminal in many of the projects he accepts, but Hawkes is a versatile actor with a resume to prove it. Other notable film appearances include From Dusk Till Dawn, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, The Perfect Storm, American Gangster, Winter’s Bone (a film that would garner Hawkes an Academy Award nomination), The Sessions, Lincoln, andThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Notable television appearances include ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, Deadwood, and Deadwood: The Movie.
11 Clifton Powell as Luke
Like John Hawkes’ role, Luke appears briefly early in the film as another informant of Detective Carter. The sharply dressed man owns a bar and conducts shady business deals with some of Los Angeles’ seedier residents after hours. When we meet Luke, we think Carter is going to arrest him and his acquaintances after a hostile confrontation. However, we quickly discover that Carter and Luke are cousins and that Luke keeps Carter updated on anything suspicious.
Clifton Powell is an NAACP Award-winning character actor who primarily plays authority figures on both sides of the law, father figures or clergymen. Powell’s notable appearances include Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, Next Friday, Friday After Next, Ray, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, The Boondocks, Black Dynamite, and The Last O.G.
10 Mark Rolston as Special Agent Warren Russ
Special Agent Warren Russ is an acquaintance of FBI Agent Dan Whitney and Detective Carter’s superior. Initially, Russ is austere and condescending when interacting with Carter, but he softens up to the man after Carter and Lee save Consul Han’s daughter.
Mark Rolston’s film debut was the 1986 classic Aliens alongside Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn. Rolston is known for his ability to affect German and Irish accents and would make notable appearances in Lethal Weapon 2, RoboCop 2, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Departed.
9 Rex Linn as Dan Whitney
Dan Whitney is an FBI agent and one of Special Agent Warren Russ’ trusted allies. Whereas Russ is stoic, Whitney possesses a more amiable personality and a sharp sense of humor, something that initially clicks with Carter. However, Whitney eventually sides with Russ when complications arise in the lawmen’s investigation. Rex Linn’s breakout role was as Richard Travers in the 1993 film, Cliffhanger. He has since appeared as a lawman or criminal in Wyatt Earp, Django Unchained, CSI: Miami, and Better Call Saul.
8 Chris Penn as Clive Cod
Clive Codd is an arms dealer who gets arrested by Detective Carter after a botched sting operation early in the film. Cod is aggressive and ruthless, nearly ending Carter’s life before the LAPD neutralizes and interrogates him.
The late Chris Penn was the younger brother to esteemed actor Sean Penn and began his career in the 1979 film Charlie and the Talking Buzzard. Penn often played abrasive characters with short tempers, and Cod in Hour, Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs, Detective Nicky Dimes in True Romance, and Officer Polanski in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas were notable examples.
7 Philip Baker Hall as Captain Bill Diel
Detective Carter’s superior is Captain Bill Diel, a no-nonsense man committed to his job. As punishment for the botched sting operation in the film’s first act, Captain Diel assigns Carter to babysit Chief Inspector Lee while Russ, Whitney, and their men handle the Consul Han case.
The late great Philip Baker Hall’s career spanned five decades, and he was notable for portraying police officers or high-ranking army personnel. With appearances in MidnightRun, Ghostbusters II, Hard Eight, The Rock, Air Force One, Boogie Nights, The Truman Show, The Insider, and Magnolia, Hall worked with some of Hollywood’s best directors during his long career.
6 Elizabeth Peña as Detective Tania Johnson
Detective Tania Johnson is an LAPD police officer with aspirations of becoming a bomb squad technician. Unlike Carter, Johnson has a more composed and professional approach to her work which earns her the respect of her contemporaries, Carter included. By the film’s climax, Johnson assists Lee and Carter in rescuing Soo-Yung Han and fulfills her dream of being promoted to the bomb squad.
Elizabeth Peña was a character actor with appearances in La Bamba, Jacob’s Ladder, The Incredibles, and Modern Family. Although Peña’s passing in 2014 shocked fans, she impressed audiences with her work and was a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.
5 Ken Leung as Sang
Sang was an assassin and Thomas Griffin/Juntao’s right-hand man. Silent but deadly, Sang was a master of disguise, an expert martial artist, and proficient with various firearms. Natural for an assassin, Sang lacked a moral code and thus was responsible for kidnapping Soo-Yung Han — in broad daylight!
Notable for the intensity he brings to each performance, Ken Leung’s breakout role was in Rush Hour, and he would showcase his range in films Keeping the Faith, Vanilla Sky, Red Dragon, Saw, Lost, Inside Man, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Sopranos, Old, and Missing.
4 Tzi Ma as Consul Solon Han
Consul Solon Han is a Hong Kong diplomat who recently moved to Los Angeles by the film’s beginning. Consul Han’s primary reason for moving from Hong Kong to LA was to provide a better life for Soo-Yung Han, his ten-year-old daughter. However, Soo-Yung is kidnapped shortly after the move, thus forcing Han to enlist the help of the Hong Kong and American governments.
Although Tzi Ma was most influenced by theater, his start in the entertainment industry came with 1979’s Cocaine Cowboys. Ma’s career has consisted of politicians, law enforcement, and military personnel as opposed to martial artists and other stereotypical roles typically offered to Asian actors.
3 Tom Wilkinson as Thomas Griffin/Juntao
When we meet Thomas Griffin, he’s presented to the audience as a British diplomat and close friend of Consul Han. However, by the film’s climax, we discover he’s the infamous Juntao, one of the most notorious crime bosses worldwide. Moreover, we learn that Juntao orchestrated the kidnapping of Soo-Yun to gain political leverage over Han.
English actor Tom Wilkinson’s career dates back to 1976 in Smug Cienia, an adaptation of the short novel The Shadow Line. Wilkinson is renowned for his ability to affect different accents, and some of his notable appearances include Shakespeare in Love, The Patriot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Batman Begins, RocknRolla, Valkyrie, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
2 Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
Detective James Carter is an LAPD officer assigned to the Soo-Yung Han case. Despite Detective Carter’s recklessness and unconventional methods, Carter is street-smart, loyal, and takes his job seriously. After the botched sting operation in the film’s first act, Carter is unknowingly sent on an assignment to babysit Chief Inspector Lee, so the FBI can work uninterrupted. However, Carter and Lee figure this deception out and work together to rescue Soo-Yung.
Along with other greats like Martin Lawrence and Dave Chappelle, Chris Tucker was one of the finest stand-up comedians turned actors to emerge from the '90s. Known for his high-pitched voice and fast-talking delivery, Tucker appeared in Friday, Dead Presidents, Jackie Brown, Money Talks, The Fifth Element, and the Rush Hour franchise to near-universal fanfare. Even with an appearance in 2023’s Air, the actor’s career has slowed considerably. With murmurs of a fourth installment in the Rush Hour franchise, we hope to see Detective Carter again soon.
1 Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee
Honorable, hard-working, and capable of handling any combat situation with relative ease, Chief Inspector Lee is one of Hong Kong’s best police officers. Upon learning of Soo-Yung Han’s kidnapping, Lee offers to help locate and rescue her partly because it is his job and partly because he and Consul Han are close friends. Despite Lee’s unfamiliarity with Los Angeles and awkward initial meeting with Detective Carter, the men eventually warm up to one another and forge one of the best onscreen cop duos ever seen.
Jackie Chan is a cinematic and martial arts legend whose career started in the 1962 film Big and Little Wong Ting Bar. Whether it be dramas, romantic comedies, martial arts films, or buddy-cop comedies, Chan’s sixty-year career has inspired multiple generations of fans worldwide. Renowned for choreographing and performing heart-stopping stunts in many of his films, Chan has consistently proven to critics and fans that he’s devoted to his craft and goes the extra mile to entertain his audience. If a fourth Rush Hour is in the works, we’d love to see what death-defying stunts Chan pulls off next.
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