Rush Hour 3, starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, opened in theaters in the U.S. yesterday, August 10. Reviews in periodicals like The New York Times, Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly have all said the movie is a complete flop, describing the film as “grimly unfunny,” or overly reliant on recycled material.
In spite of the poor reviews, two things one can look forward to in Rush Hour 3 are Japanese actress Youki Kudoh (pictured above) and Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu.On Youki:
(at the premiere of Rush Hour 3)
Youki last appeared in the films Memoirs of a Geisha as Pumpkin and in Snow Falling on Cedars as Hatsue Miyamoto. At 20-years-old, Youki received the Best Actress Award for her role in War and Youth, becoming the youngest person in her country to receive the award. This role also won her Best Actress awards from the Japan Film Critics, Hochi Film Festival, and the 34th Blue Ribbon Award.
On Zhang:
(at the premiere of Rush Hour 3)
Zhang won the Best New Performer Award at the 11th China Broadcast, Film and TV Huabiao Awards for her role in Huayao Bride in Shangrila in 2005, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 for her role in Seven Swords. Recently TIME Asia Magazine has named her one of “Asia’s Heroes,” lauding her passion and zeal for acting. The article can be found here. Rush Hour 3 is Zhang’s first American movie.
In Rush Hour 3, Youki plays Jasmine (not quite sure what she does, but she starts throwing knives at Jackie Chan in the trailer) and Zhang Jingchu plays Soo Yung, the daughter of Consul Han who was murdered in Rush Hour. Below is the trailer for the movie, where you can see some clips of Youki, but unfortunately Zhang managed to not get featured:
Youki Kudoh, Zhang Jingchu on the web:
Youki Kudoh and Zhang Jingchu @ rushhourmovie.com (movie website)
Youki Kudoh and Zhang Jingchu @ asianpopcorn.com
Youki Kudoh @ youkikudoh.net (official website)
Youki Kudoh @ imdb.com
Zhang Jingchu @ imdb.com
Zhang Jingchu @ time.com
