What else is wrong with the movie? It is just flat-out not good. I do not mean to sound blunt, but the story flounders and does not hold up to any type of close inspection. Plot threads are brought up and abandoned as our heroic duo careen wildly through the streets of Paris.
Initially, the plot has the dynamic duo (reunited by pure coincidence) tracking down the killer of Jackie's superior, Ambassador Han. Before long it translates into stopping the Triads in Paris. It just does not flow all that well. I probably could have overlooked this if the performances and action were fun, but even that failed to deliver.
Chris Tucker has not grown at all as a performer; in fact, he may have regressed. His onscreen persona consists primarily of yelling unfunny one-liners that land with a thud. He is loud, obnoxious, and just really annoying. Take, for example, the early scene in the dojo. It features Tucker at his worst, culminating with a riff on Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's on First" routine. As for Jackie Chan? I love Jackie Chan and he can still put it all out there. However, he just looks tired here, as if he really doesn't want to be there.
You know, I was willing to give this a shot. I did not particularly care for it when I saw it on the big screen. I went into my DVD viewing thinking that time may have softened my reaction. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case. Sure, I have seen worse films, this is not a complete waste. Still, I cannot in good conscience recommend this film as anything more than a rental.
Audio/Video. Technically, there are no complaints from me. The anamorphic transfer is crisp, clean, and the colors are nice and sharp. Likewise, the 5.1 audio mix sounds fine. Although, I wonder what they mean by this on the audio setup screen: "Audio optimized for DVD, No re-equalization required." There are three available tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS-EX, and 6.1, and Stereo Surround.
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