Rush Hour 2

Rush Hour 2 opened in the US on 3 August 2001. Brett Ratner reunited Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker and took them first to Hong Kong, the city where Chan built his career. It was shot from 11 December 2000 to 30 April 2001, in Hong Kong (Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, Tsim Sha Tsui police station) and in Las Vegas, where the old Desert Inn stands in for the finale.

Action left to Jackie Chan

Ratner said he learned a great deal from Chan's stunt work. Fights were often designed on the day: the director set only the start and end points for the story and Chan coordinated most of the action. His signature is all over it: fights in tight spaces, everyday objects turned into weapons and physical comedy. It won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.

Zhang Ziyi as the assassin

A year after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Zhang Ziyi plays Hu Li, a triad killer who fights almost entirely with her legs. The contrast with Chan, who backs off, blocks and improvises, gives the film its best sequences. John Lone plays the triad boss, with Roselyn Sánchez, Maggie Q and an uncredited Don Cheadle.

Box-office records

It opened to $67.4 million, then the biggest August opening and the biggest for a comedy, and grossed about $347 million worldwide, more than the first film. It passed The Karate Kid as the highest-grossing martial arts action film. Reviews were split (50% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences gave it an A CinemaScore.