Jackie Chan Isn't a Fan of 'Rush Hour'

Jackie Chan Isn't a Fan of 'Rush Hour'

It's the movie that put Jackie Chan in the major leagues in the United States, but the Hong Kong star isn't a fan of his successful action comedy franchise "Rush Hour."

Chan said when he made the first installment of the "Rush Hour" series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn't have high hopes.

"When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor," Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.

The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an "irresistible" amount of money to do it and made the third installment, which was released recently, to satisfy fans of the series.

Chan said "Rush Hour 3" was no different from the first two installments for him.

"Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me ... I spent four months making this film and I still don't fully understand the humor," he said, adding the comedic scenes may be lost on Asian audiences as well.

Chan's comments came even though the "Rush Hour" series, which revolves around the racial humor stemming from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and a black (Chris Tucker) police officer, helped the action star cross over to mainstream American audiences.

"Rush Hour" was Chan's first movie to break $100 million at the U.S. box office, earning $141 million, according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo. "Rush Hour 2" made $226 million and "Rush Hour 3" has earned $137 million so far.

Chan has been known to be blase about his Hollywood work. He said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press that he uses the high salary he earns in America to fund Chinese-language projects that he's truly interested in.

He also recently showed little enthusiasm for his latest Hollywood project, "The Forbidden Kingdom," which marks his first on-screen collaboration with fellow action star Jet Li.

"The movie I just shot with Jet Li, 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' actually isn't that great," Chan was quoted as saying by the Web site of China's official Xinhua News Agency.

"'The Forbidden Kingdom' is a movie made for Americans," the report quoted Chan as saying. "Chinese viewers may not like it. If I say it's a good movie now, then many people will be filled with overly high expectations and be disappointed when they see the movie."