Rush Hour

Rush Hour is the film that made Jackie Chan a Hollywood star. After several failed attempts in the US in the 1980s, the Hong Kong legend found the right formula here: a buddy pairing with comedian Chris Tucker, kicks on one side and jokes on the other. Directed by Brett Ratner for New Line Cinema, it opened on 18 September 1998 with $33 million, then the biggest September opening in the US, and grossed about $245 million worldwide on a $33 to 35 million budget.

The Jackie Chan Stunt Team in Los Angeles

Chan did his action scenes without a double, which Roger Ebert pointed out in his review. He brought members of his own stunt team: Ken Lo, Nicky Li Chung-chi, Chan Man-ching and Andy Cheng play Juntao's henchmen. Practitioners will recognise Chan's method: fights built around the props in the room, very fast chains of blocks, and plenty of self-mockery. The fight against the Chinese gang earned an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Fight.

Fewer fights than in Hong Kong

It is a cop comedy first, with shorter and fewer fights than Police Story or Drunken Master II. Chan has said he did not like Rush Hour and preferred his Hong Kong films, which had more fighting. Still, its success opened Hollywood to him and led to two sequels, in 2001 and 2007. Reviews praised the Chan-Tucker chemistry (62% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences gave it an A on CinemaScore. Lalo Schifrin, who scored Enter the Dragon, wrote the music.