Trailer
Plot summary
On Hong Kong's last night under British rule, Detective Inspector Lee raids a wharf, hoping to catch the crime lord Juntao. He finds only Juntao's lieutenant Sang, who escapes by boat, but he recovers Chinese treasures Juntao had taken and presents them to the departing consul Solon Han. Two months later Han is in Los Angeles when his daughter Soo Yung is abducted, and he asks for Lee. The FBI, wary of an international incident, passes Lee to the LAPD, where Detective James Carter is handed the job of keeping him occupied after botching a sting. Carter, who has long wanted to work for the FBI, takes Lee sightseeing while he works his informants on the kidnapping.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Rush Hour (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Rush Hour was the catalyst for the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Founder Senh Duong, a Jackie Chan fan, had been collecting reviews of Chan's Hong Kong action films, and in anticipation of Chan's first major Hollywood crossover he coded the website in two weeks and launched it shortly before release.
- Eddie Murphy turned down a role in Rush Hour to do Holy Man instead, while Wesley Snipes turned it down in favour of Blade, which was also for New Line Cinema. Murphy said in November 2025 that he had later regretted it.
