While his pictures have always been goofy fun, their low budget and decidedly less than sophisticated construction has often left Chan having to carry them all by himself. Thus, and upon hearing that he'd be making his first American film in some twelve years, I anxiously wondered if this might be the film he's been so deserving of for much of his career.

The answer gets a split vote. While "Rush Hour" is easily the slickest looking production in which he's starred, and has a decent semblance of a plot -- when compared to many of his other films -- this isn't a "real" Jackie Chan flick. Sure, the action's there, along with his trademark amazing physical stunts, but in getting the Hollywood treatment, a great deal of the fun stemming from Chan and his "antics" has been lessened.

Susceptible to the same aging process that the rest of us mere mortals can't escape -- no matter what acrobatics are employed -- and working in a more safety conscious Hollywood than his native Hong Kong, Chan's efforts, while still fun to watch, are decidedly more subdued than in the past.

Yes, he still has his trademark way of scaling walls and fighting off hordes of bad guys, but the sheer number of such stunts is lower than in the past, and none of them are as eye-popping amazing as before. While those who've never previously seen Chan will probably find his stunts quite astonishing, seasoned fans will enjoy seeing him again, but might just be disappointed in the parred down material.

Beyond the previously mentioned reasons for that, the most obvious is that the filmmakers needed to make room for hot young comedian, Chris Tucker ("Money Talks," "The Fifth Element") who appears as Chan's partner. As capable with his mouth and comic reactions as Chan is with his hands and feet, Tucker easily holds his own when appearing with his more seasoned costar -- when they're acting, that is.

Tucker's over the top comedic style (and exaggerated facial expressions) is something of an acquired taste, and while his fans will obviously love this outing, it's questionable whether his performance will convert many others. The remaining characters are all pretty much of the throw away variety, particularly the two-dimensional villains who -- as usual -- don't seem much of a match for our fleet footed friend.

Despite the somewhat diminished "wow" quotient, it's that Hong Kong star, however, who steals the show whenever he starts moving. Whether gracefully maneuvering from one vehicle to another, or up walls and trees in a manner that not only defies gravity but basic human physiology, or dispatching assailants in a pool hall or art museum for maximum comic effect, there's simply no one like Chan.

As far as the movie itself goes, it's really just an afterthought meant to fill in the spaces when Chan's body and Tucker's mouth need a rest. As directed by Brett Ratner (who made his feature debut directing Tucker in "Money Talks" after helming a long line of music videos) and written by screenwriters Jim Kouf ("Stakeout," "Gang Related") and Ross Lamanna (making his debut), the movie follows the standard "opposites" duo where the laughs are supposed to develop from the partners' differences.

Of course, that's when they're not dealing with the standard issue, cardboard villains and their obligatory "evil plan." While the plot works and there are some decent laughs to be found stemming from Chan and Tucker's interaction together, movies like this are never remembered for their direction, writing, or acting. It's physical stunts and goofy comedy that the target audience wants, and this film decently delivers the goods.

Better than most of Chan's previous movies in an artistic and production sense, but lacking in the sheer brilliance and amazing stunts found in those same films, it's doubtful this picture will fare much better at the box office than Chan's other efforts.

Occasionally funny and featuring some decent, but not outstanding stunt work, "Rush Hour" leaves me with the ever diminishing hope that one day, someone will give Chan a decent starring role before he's too old to continue amazing us. We give "Rush Hour" a 5 out of 10.

Beyond that, standard lethal violence also occurs, as does the kidnaping of an eleven-year-old girl, and some of the violence is a little bloody. Profanity is abundant, but doesn't rise above many uses of the "s" word (and "G-damn" for those concerned with that) and other such words and phrases. Some references to drugs are made, and one older character briefly smokes what everyone assumes is pot. Two extremely brief and very minor sexual references also occur. If you're still concerned about the film's content, we suggest that you take a closer look at what we've listed.