Synopsis

When the daughter of a Chinese diplomat is kidnapped in Los Angeles, Hong Kong Inspector Lee is sent to help recover her. The FBI assigns fast-talking LAPD detective James Carter to keep Lee away from the investigation, but Carter instead becomes involved in the case. Despite their opposing personalities and methods, the mismatched partners pursue the kidnappers and uncover a larger criminal conspiracy.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay began as a spec script written by Ross LaManna in 1995. The project was initially developed at Disney's Hollywood Pictures before New Line Cinema acquired it.

• Jackie Chan spoke his own English dialogue in the film. According to Brett Ratner, this marked the first U.S.-released film in which Chan used his own voice in an English-speaking role without dubbing.

• Chris Tucker improvised substantial portions of his dialogue. The exchange between Carter and Stucky at Grauman's Chinese Theatre contained so much improvisation that the filmmakers reportedly had difficulty editing it into a coherent conversation.

• The opening sequence was filmed in Hong Kong, while much of the Los Angeles material was shot on location in California.

• The Foo Chow Restaurant in Los Angeles' Chinatown is a real restaurant. Its exterior later displayed a sign noting that Rush Hour had been filmed there.

• The film's release helped inspire Rotten Tomatoes. Founder Senh Duong, a Jackie Chan fan, created the site to collect reviews of Chan's movies shortly before Rush Hour opened.

• Rush Hour opened at number one in North America on September 18, 1998, and became a major commercial success. It grossed more than $245 million worldwide and launched a film series with two sequels.