Welcome back to Feats N’ Faults, where our Tiered Point System ranks and records our favorite characters based on their achievements and deeds. Please check the About Page for a more in-depth look at how points are awarded. Our Tier System is below for quick reference. Spoiler Warning!
Today, we are covering my favorite buddy cop movie, Rush Hour, and the rest of the franchise. There are rumblings of a fourth movie, but until I see a trailer, I can’t believe it, haha.
Jackie Chan is the best action hero of all time, and there is not a single movie he is in that I hate. I even find enjoyment out of Rush Hour 3! His action is so well choreographed, and its prop focus lends itself to comedy. That mix between solid physical comedy and Chris Tucker’s wisecracks gives everyone something to laugh at. There is never any dead space; you’re either laughing or on the edge of your seat, and that’s a thing of beauty.
Before we get into the plots, let’s dive into how the characters scored on our Feats N’ Faults System. We will be covering Inspector Lee and Officer Carter as well as the villains across the series, Kenji, Hu Li, Thomas Griffin, Sang, and Ricky Tan.
Let’s Get Started!
Remember, we are full spoilers on this substack, so if you have not seen these movies, now is your last chance. Kenji is the leader of the Triads and turned out to be Lee’s brother. He serves as a mirror to what Lee could have been without the proper guidance and a strong moral compass. Even though this reflection is obvious, Kenji is nothing compared to Lee. That’s why he is last on our rankings. The dude only earned a single point because of his faults that dragged his score down. He had the chance to kill Lee and let it pass. He also let himself get defeated and dropped to his death from the Eiffel Tower. He took the easy way out, and his score plummeted as fast as his body did. Womp Womp.
Behind every man is a strong woman. Hu Li is Ricky Tan’s muscle. She is the operative who carries out his wishes and has the fighting prowess to back them up. She set off a bomb in the US Embassy, Beat Carter and Lee on multiple occasions, and even tied Lee up and shoved a live grenade directly into his gob!
While all those are well in good, she made some pretty heinous mistakes for a villain. Firstly, she let a secret agent go and did not kill them when she had the chance. The second is the worst yet. She decided that her best course of action was to blow herself up. Seems practical if it means destroying something important or even killing the good guys. However, she not only did not kill anyone, but no one was even seriously injured! What a waste.
Griffin, or should I say Juntao, is caught smuggling and dealing in Chinese artifacts. He was able to stay hidden, use his alias to divert suspicion, and remain in plain sight as an FBI Agent. Too bad he never learned to keep his money safe; he threw it over the edge while trying to fight off Carter. He didn’t even have to do it; he just nonchalantly hit the man with an unlocked briefcase and let millions just rain over the convention center. Why are all these guys so stupid!
Sang may have scored fewer feats than the previous characters, but what sets him apart is his lack of faults. Having zero faults is a huge feat in and of itself and lets Sang cling to the points he managed to scrape up. He was able to kill a group of people with a bomb, kill two other people, and he was even able to escape Inspector Lee! It takes a lot to get away from Jackie Chan. The dude was a massive threat, but Lee got the better of him in the end.
Ricky Tan was Lee’s father’s former partner, turned Triad. Much like Sang, he was able to avoid a single Fault but had more connections and opportunities to score feats than Sang did. His largest Feat was making millions from counterfeiting, and his most impressive to me was capturing Lee and Carter and stripping them naked before dropping them on the highway, haha. Love that scene. Even with all his connections and money, he was unable to avoid Lee and Carter and was eventually brought down by the buddy-cop duo.
Carter is the fast-talking wiseguy of the duo. He always has something to say and is not afraid to preach it from every rooftop. It is this mouth that got him paired with Lee. Carter was supposed to unwittingly waste Lee’s time, but instead, it created the best buddy-cop duo in comedy history.
I am disappointed with how his score turned out. He had three movies to prove himself, but was always second fiddle to Lee when it came to actually getting things done. His faults also played a role. Almost hitting double digits will severely damage your score.
Here comes Inspector Lee! Jackie Chan has to be the greatest action star of all time. His charisma, stunt prowess, and ability to turn any mundane item or location into an intense yet humorous action set piece are unparalleled. I can’t believe we haven’t done more Jackie Chan on this feed, but you have to start somewhere.
Lee is the straight man in the films. He is dedicated to getting the job done and has a strong moral compass. While Tucker may use his wit for comedy, Jackie uses his physicality. This dynamic is what makes the duo so lovable.
While I wish Lee could score more, breaking into the 30s is on par with having three films to your name. To put this into context, his score of 37 puts him on par with Nick Fury from the MCU and Thrawn from Star Wars. Not too shabby, but I can almost guarantee this isn’t the highest score Jackie will get. My bet is his character from Police Story will score admirably.
Thanks for tuning into another Feats N’ Faults. Do not forget to like and recommend a friend to the feed to keep our community growing. Let me know what you think of the Rush Hour films in the comments, or tell me your favorite Jackie Chan film we should cover next! I hope you all have an action-packed week and will see you next Thursday for more Feats N’ Faults.
Until Next Time!
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