East meets Jest

In "Rush Hour 2", the sequel to the 1998 hit which re-teams Chris Tucker with Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan, Mr. Tucker's Carter is called "7-11" because his mouth never closes. Never has a character's nickname been more accurate. Using the bullet-or-the-buckshot method of comedy, Mr. Tucker never stops talking. He's got a one-liner or a put-down for every occasion. Thankfully, no doubt due to excessive ad libbing, he hits the mark surprisingly often.

Mr. Tucker is basically a loud-mouth. In the film, which sets him down in Hong Kong ostensibly on vacation, he is the epitome of the ugly American. He's the guy you don't want to be around in a bar or restaurant. Maybe it's the $20 million paycheck, but Mr. Tucker seems to be having such a good time that you can't help but laugh.

As the proverbial Yin to Mr. Tucker's Yang, Jackie Chan has found a perfect vehicle for his accessibly cuddly brand of kung-fu. Impossibly spry at 47, Mr. Chan's trademark acrobatics are slightly more abbreviated, but they are certainly there and they are still fantastic - particularly a scene in a massage parlor, and a moment in a casino when Mr. Chan jumps through an unfathomably small teller's window. Happily, the obligatory blooper reel over the ending credits (which is a doozy this time around) shows that this feat wasn't as easy as it looked.

Yes, "Rush Hour 2" is a complete clone of the first movie, right down to the jokes ("Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!"). But it's a superior clone. Writer Jeff Nathanson proves that he can write a sequel after his "Speed 2: Cruise Control" travesty and returning director Brett Ratner keeps the pace ludicrously brisk - nearly cutting off a punch line or two to keep things moving. I will also give Mr. Ratner credit for understanding that it's best to leave the camera still and let the kung-fu speak for itself - an option that seems to have eluded the makers of Jet Li's recent Hollwood efforts. The film is also cast particularly well with cameos by Don Cheadle, Alan King and Jeremy Piven and a knock-out (literally) villain in the shape of "Crouching Tiger's" Zhang Ziyi.

"Rush Hour 2" isn't rocket science. It isn't going to change you or make you ponder the state of the world. But in a Hollywood where the "Lethal Weapon" movies aren't even as good as the "Lethal Weapon" movies, this is one buddy sequel I'd rush to see.