The iconic box office hit Jackie Chan “hated”
Due to the overwhelming global impact that Bruce Lee had on contemporary culture, many predecessors emerged who tried to fill the enormous vacuum created by his untimely demise. However, there is probably nobody who succeeded in that quest to a greater extent than Jackie Chan. Incorporating Lee’s extreme physicality and turning it into a unique form of physical comedy, the influence of Chan’s distinctive comedic style is simply unparalleled.
Once described by Quentin Tarantino as “one of the best filmmakers the world has ever known”, Jackie Chan not only excelled as a comedy star but also demonstrated his directorial skills on multiple occasions. One of the finest examples of this is the 1985 masterpiece Police Story, where he developed a fascinating language for visual comedy which perfectly complemented his immaculate stuntwork as well as his slapstick sensibilities.
While most fans still consider Chan’s Asian output to be far superior, it cannot be denied that his entry into Hollywood cemented his status as a global phenomenon. Through movies like Rush Hour and Shanghai Knights, Chan’s comedic style entered the Western consciousness and inspired audiences to check out his early martial arts flicks. During a conversation with Crosswalk, the celebrated actor even singled out his favourite American project: “I like Shanghai Knights. [It’s the] best American film I made so far!”
However, he didn’t feel the same way about Rush Hour. Chan revealed: “Something I don’t like is successful like Rush Hour, I make the movie and I tell my manager, ‘See, I should never make this kind of movie!’ Then I go to Asia to make Asian film and they call me and say, ‘Jackie, big hit! [It’s a] success!’ I say, ‘What?’ Then I make Rush Hour 2, and I hate it! Worse than Rush Hour 1! And they call me and say, ‘[It’s a] success!’ Then I slowly realise, ‘Okay, I still have Chinese mind’; I have ‘hometown’ mind. I don’t get American culture, American dialogue.”
While talking about its numbers in the Asian market, the actor added: “Now, with Asian film, I am right! I know what works and what doesn’t. Rush Hour [released] in Asia and [bombed]. Nobody [went] to see it! Yeah! Only 12million! My movie, I make a Hong Kong film, and it [made] 50million! You see the difference? If Rush Hour not starring Jackie Chan, I think it [would have] only [made] half million in Hong Kong – that’s all!”
Starring alongside Chris Tucker, Chan’s work in Rush Hour is counted by many to be among his finest performances. Playing the role of a disciplined police officer who embarks on a mission to find a high-ranking diplomat’s kidnapped daughter, Chan’s intense energy perfectly combines with Tucker’s laid-back attitude to create a memorable buddy cop movie. However, the American sense of humour in the film bothered Jackie Chan, who just didn’t get it even after working on a sequel.
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