After six years of abeyance, Rush Hour returns with the third part of the franchise, hoping to reach again the previous success in the box office. What is certain is that the mixture of martial arts, amusement and mayhem goes on.

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, respectively Chief Inspector Lee and Detective James Carter, are both fish-out-of-water – they are in France, tracing an international Chinese mob boss. The action is still breath-taking and dynamic, as usual: assassination attempts, a kidnap, car chases, shootings in a night club, a fight on the Eiffel Tower and so forth.

Besides the funny plot, the story of the film itself is amusing.  Looking for to set the premises of the action, the director, Brett Ratner just asked for an opinion and then they stuck on it. "France was actually my idea," Tucker says. "We were kicking around ideas and they said, 'Where do you want to go?' and it just popped into my head to say France." Only after that the script began to take shape.

Movie franchises usually introduce a development of the characters, an alteration in the protagonists’ personality.

Rush Hour bets on personal chemistry: the bizarre couple of the silent Chinese inspector and the talkative Afro-American detective and their friendship.

But this friendship is prolonged and augmented beyond the movie: Chan, Tucker and Ratner are  trio-pals.

"Brett, Chris, and I refer to one another as black, white, and Chinese brothers. It's Brett Chan Tucker, Chris Chan Ratner, and Jackie Ratner Tucker!," Chan told Reuters.

When referring to his film partner, Chan added: "I consider him to be a true buddy ... He respects and trusts me when I ask him to do some action. Likewise, if I need some advice or changes to the dialogue, I respect and trust him."

What brought the three together again wasn’t the money or lack of activity. Tucker is preoccupied by helping AIDS orphans and others in need in Africa through his Chris Tucker Foundation, and Chan has made more films sine Rush Hour 2 more than Tucker all his career!

“I never agree to doing a movie because of how much they're paying me. I'd do a movie for little or no money if I really loved it," he said. "It was all about making sure the script was good enough to do a third one. Shooting in Paris had non-monetary benefits, too, Tucker said.