Last updated 17:01, Friday, 21 March 2008

GIVEN that the Rush Hour franchise is essentially a one-joke premise – a culture-clash buddy comedy of a street-wise black American cop and a straight-laced Chinese police officer – it surprised me to learn that the makers had stretched the joke out into a second sequel, writes Andrew Clarke

But stretch it they did, hence Rush Hour 3 with more of the same mix of action and comedy from Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan.

The film opens a couple of years after the last film and the pair are estranged. Tucker’s character James Carter has been demoted to a traffic cop and Chan’s Lee is a bodyguard to the ambassador.

But when a sniper makes an attempt on the ambassador’s life, the pair are thrown back together to track down the Triad gang responsible for the shooting.

Their search for the Triad leadership takes the duo to Paris and into the kind of scrapes that fans of the Rush Hour films will be familiar with.

Chan’s amazing stuntwork and Tucker’s quick wit maintain the balance of action and comedy and, although the plot is flimsy, fans know what to expect by the second sequel and won’t be disappointed.

It’s occasionally very funny, with Chan’s deadpan wit used well, and the action is suitably over-the-top.

Will Rush Hour 3 win an Oscar for its gritty portrayal of the threat of terrorism in post-9/11 society? Probably not, and nor does it intend to.

But is it a fun, lively and instantly forgettable, way to while away 90 minutes? Absolutely.

Next time: A Perfect Day starring Rob Lowe.