Rush Hour 2 is a 2001 buddy-cop/comedy film and the second installment of the Rush Hour series.
Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) are in Hong Kong on vacation. Lee sees Ricky Tan (John Lone), the leader of a group of counterfeiters, and a woman named Hu Li (Zhang Ziyi) in a nightclub. Lee and Carter attempt to bust them but are unsuccesful.
But following some hunches, Lee and Carter fly back to Los Angeles, where they meet Secret Service Agent Isabella Molina (Roselyn Sánchez) who directs them on how to find the counterfeiters. Like the first movie, she was trying to get them out of her way, but Lee and Carter again find the right chain of evidence that takes them to Las Vegas and the perfect money-laundering location.
This film provides examples of:
- Action Girl:
- Hu-Li is a deadly martial artist and manages to kick Carter in the face a few times.
- Downplayed with Isabella because she doesn't have much chance as Hu Li shot her in the shoulder.
- Ax-Crazy: Hu-Li is just a little too happy to blow people up. Not to mention her openly fantasizing about cutting Isabella's lips off and her promise to make Lee beg her to blow him up.
- Bad Guy Bar: The bar that Lee and Carter go to are owned by the triads.
- Bash Brothers: Both Lee and Carter start to demonstrate this where Carter's hand-to-hand skills have notably jumped up about 10 grades.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Ricky Tan and Steven Reign are working together in a counterfeiting operation. Subverted in the end when Reign tried to take the plates for himself.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Lee says "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth!?" when he and Carter were on the boat, a line said by Carter in the first film.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Lee and Carter have an argument after getting dressed after being stripped butt-naked about how things went down at the massage parlor. Lee is correct that Carter should've listened to him and stay seated while he went to get backup and not go up to Ricky Tan and challenge him, and they would've avoided all trouble. However, Carter also isn't wrong that Lee lied to him about them going to a party at the bar, but are actually undercover on an assignment and he didn't tell him anything about it, and he only wanted to go on a vacation and not get caught up in another crime-lord busting assignment.
- Bound and Gagged: Tape is used to tie Lee's hands together and gag his face.
- The Casino: Lee and Carter go to a casino that turns out to be Ricky Tan's headquarters.
- Ceiling Cling: Lee hides on the ceiling, clinging to the walls with his arms and legs in order to sneak into the Red Dragon casino back rooms.
- Counterfeit Cash: Fake hundred-dollar bills are seen throughout the film, which can be distinguished from real hundred-dollar bills because when they are set on fire, the fire is redder than that produced by ordinary hundred-dollar bills.
- Cultural Translation: One scene has Carter talking to a Chinese woman who attempts to sell him a live chicken. At one point, he says "I like 'em dead and deep fried. You ever heard of Popeyes?" Given that Popeyes is a restaurant chain that is non-existent in Quebec, the Canadian French dub has Carter mention St-Hubert instead, which is a popular rotisserie chicken restaurant chain in that province.
- The Dragon: Hu-Li to Ricky Tan.
- Follow That Car: Carter orders the taxi driver to follow the car. The driver doesn't move and keeps speaking Chinese to him (with no subtitles for non-Chinese-speaking viewers). After a few back-and-forth exchanges, Carter slips him some money and the driver says, in English, "Now you're speaking my language" and steps on the gas.
- Food and Body Comparison: Carter and Lee have been captured by a group of Triad goons. Lee tries to explain how much trouble they're in, saying they'll be tortured for three days. Carter doesn't seem to be worried, until...Lee: Then they will cut off our eggrolls.
Carter: Cut off our eggrolls?! Hell no! Let's get the hell outta here! C'mon man, don't give up! - Genre Savvy: Carter assumes that every large criminal operation is usually a corrupt, rich white guy pulling the strings. Hence, their pursuit for Steven Reign.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: After fighting Ricky Tan's bodyguards, being stripped naked, and being left on a highway, Lee and Carter use newspapers and garbage can lids to cover their nudity.
- Handy Remote Control: Hu-Li has one of these so she can set off a grenade in Lee's mouth at a moment's notice.
- I Know Kung-Faux: In order to intimidate Hu-Li, Carter tries to convince her that walking like an Egyptian is a martial art.
- Improvised Zipline: Carter and Lee escape a building by sliding down a string of Chinese lanterns.
- Interesting Situation Duel: Lee fights a group of Triads on scaffolding next to a building.
- Mr. Fanservice: Carter spends a few scenes shirtless in the massage parlor.
- Ms. Fanservice: Isabella, especially in her scene stripping down in her Black Bra and Panties.
- Naked People Are Funny: Lee and Carter get stripped naked and forced to run back to the police station with only a trash can lid and newspaper as their coverings to get changed.
- Pocket Protector: During Carter's fight with Hu-Li, he gets stabbed in the chest by her spearing it, but was revealed to be saved by the wad of the counterfeit bills he had in his jacket's breast pocket.Carter: Thank you, Benjamin (kisses dollars).
- Racial Face Blindness: After hitting Lee by mistake in the massage parlor fight, Carter, says "All y'all look alike!"
- Time Bomb: Lee and Carter find themselves in a building with a bomb that is counting down. To get out, they use an Improvised Zipline.
- Walk Like an Egyptian: Carter jokes about knowing a martial art that resembles this walk.
- White-Collar Crime: It turns out that the Red Dragon casino is giving out Counterfeit Cash to the winners.
- Who's on First?: Lee tries to talk to Carter about someone named Inspector Yu, but Carter thinks he's saying the word "you."
