---
title: "Rush Hour: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/rush-hour/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/rush-hour"
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rush Hour (1998): what the critics said

Critics' score 71 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics find Rush Hour an enjoyable, familiar action comedy whose chief strength is the partnership between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Praise centres on their contrasting comic styles, with Chan’s acrobatic action playing effectively against Tucker’s more frantic humour. The reviews repeatedly credit that rapport with making the material work, even when the plot offers little surprise, and Chan’s action sequences receive particular approval.

The main difference is how far the double act compensates for the formula. Radio Times finds that the pairing lifts the film above the usual buddy comedy, while Empire calls it an effective crowd-pleaser but faults the weak script and slow start. The Los Angeles Times praises the brisk pacing, though it finds a Hong Kong sequence elliptical. The assessable verdicts therefore range from qualified enjoyment to firm enthusiasm, with reservations clustering around the writing rather than the stars.

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 4/5. 

The critic says the film rises above the usual buddy-movie formula. Chan and Tucker’s inspired double act is singled out for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-63s6wt/rush-hour/)

## Los Angeles Times — KEVIN THOMAS

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 1998. 

Thomas finds the action comedy formulaic but funny, with Chan and Tucker making an effective team. He praises the stars’ contrasting comic styles and the film’s brisk pacing, while faulting an elliptical Hong Kong sequence.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-18-ca-23828-story.html)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 1998. 

Maslin gives the action comedy a positive verdict. She singles out the comic chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/18/movies/film-review-kicks-swivels-and-wisecracks-on-hollywood-boulevard.html)

## Variety — Joe Leydon

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 1998. 

Leydon finds the formulaic action comedy raucously entertaining and sees it as a savvy career move for Jackie Chan. He praises the lively chemistry between Chan’s acrobatics and Chris Tucker’s manic humor.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/rush-hour-3-1200455075/)

## Empire — Caroline Westbrook

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Westbrook finds the film an effective, if brainless, crowd-pleaser despite its weak script and slow start. She singles out Jackie Chan’s balletic action sequences as the highlight.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rush-hour-review/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page URL identifies a RogerEbert.com review of the 1998 film, but the review text is inaccessible. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rush-hour-1998)

## Time Out — CO'Su

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page identifies this as a film review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rush-hour)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. 

The critic finds the film fun and says its familiar plot matters less than its central double act. Chan and Tucker’s rapport is singled out as the source of the humour.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/rush-hour-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rush-hour.md