Jackie Chan has finally come home.

Well, actually, no. His home is back in Hong Kong. He was the number one box office draw in Asia before most of us had ever heard of him. He's made over 100 movies back there. He really kicks some serious butt. I have been in love with this guy since I saw Supercop, and anyone who's been with me for a long time knows that I have probably reviewed more Jackie Chan movies than any other star. But that's because he's released the most films in the time that I've been reviewing. Case in point, I have reviewed, Supercop, First Strike and Operation Condor, and I never got around to reviewing, though I did see, Mr. Nice Guy. Now I write my fourth Jackie Chan review, for his first truly American film (I am NOT counting that horrid box office bomb, Burn Hollywood Burn) -- Rush Hour.

Why is this his first truly American film? Because it is not dubbed. He speaks English in it. Everyone speaks English in it. Including his co-star, Chris Tucker, who you've seen in Money Talks and The Fifth Element. It's an American film made with American money directed by an American.

And it's a lot of fun.

Here's the story. A Chinese diplomat has his daughter kidnapped. Jackie comes to LA to find her. He teams up with Chris Tucker. The rest is history.

If you know Jackie Chan, then I don't have to tell you that he beats people up like they're going out of style. And if you know Chris Tucker, then you know that he has perhaps the fastest mouth on the planet. If you know Delbert Pickerstall from Iowa, then you know that he needs to take a bath.

Does the movie include a bunch of rockin' Jackie Chan fight scenes? Yup. Though not as many as I'd have liked. In most Jackie Chan films, he's the only character of interest, and he gets all the screen time. In Rush Hour, he has to share the stage with Chris Tucker. Chris provides the comedy, Jackie provides the action. Except that, to some extent, they each provide some action and they each provide some comedy. It's a nice mix, and I thought they worked well together.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is not perfect. It's very, very formulamatic. You can easily predict exactly what is going to happen. A lot of the plot is far too coincidental. Every road has to lead to the same place so that all the characters can be in the right place at the right time with the right amount of property to destroy.

And why do they call it Rush Hour? Nothing happens that involves a rush hour of any kind. What's up with that? Did that scene get cut?

But it is a lot of fun. Anything with Jackie is a lot of fun. Jackie is a lot of fun. Jackie for President!

Oh, by the way,. I spent the entire movie wondering where I'd seen the British actor who played the British Politician before. Now I know. It's Tom Wilkinson from The Full Monty. He was the dance instructor who they made fun of until they really needed him. Now I know what happens to people who strip for the movies, they end up in powerful political positions.

Let that be a lesson to us all.

I give Rush Hour 3 1/3 Babylons. All of it, and I mean all of it, is for Jackie. I just love him.

Special Self-Made Note:

I have seen the previews a few times now and there is no way anyone on God's Green Earth will ever convince me that A Night at the Roxbury is anything other than complete garbage. It looks bad, it sounds bad, it smells bad. If you go to this movie, you lose. Have I mentioned that it has two directors. Why do you think that is? Maybe because the first director left during production because the movie was so awful?

Editor's Note:

I know what I'm getting The Critic for his birthday, free passes to a special screening of A Night at the Roxbury. Because I love him so.

Rush Hour
Rated: PG-13
Directed By: Brett Ratner
Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, and every part of Jackie Chan's body which he uses to inflict punishment on wrong-doers everywhere.