Summary

• The pairing of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour created comedy gold that fans still love.
• Rush Hour's best quotes showcase the hilarious banter between Lee and Carter, making the series memorable.
• Rush Hour combines action and comedy seamlessly, with memorable fight scenes and witty one-liners.

The best Rush Hour quotes highlight the funniest moments in the iconic action-comedy trilogy. The pairing of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker ended up being a perfect match for the series beginning with 1998's Rush Hour. The movie used the classic buddy cop formula in the story of a skilled Hong Kong cop (Chan) forced to team with a loudmouth LAPD detective (Tucker) to solve a kidnapping case. The movie was a huge hit, grossing nearly $250 million worldwide and spawned two sequels with Rush Hour 2 coming in 2001 followed by Rush Hour 3 in 2007. With so many laugh-out-loud lines, the best Rush Hour quotes show why the series still has plenty of fans.

The possibility of Rush Hour 4 has been teased for years with no real signs of it happening, but fans can still return to the hilarious moments in the first three movies. Chan had already proven himself one of the most gifted physical comedians in movie history with his martial arts movies, but Rush Hour proved he could handle an English-language comedy as well. Tucker also found his breakthrough role, delivering plenty of quotable lines with his quick and energetic style. The unlikely duo makes for comedy gold, and together they provide the funniest quotes from the trilogy.

30 “Do You Understand The Words That Are Coming Out Of My Mouth!?”

Carter - Rush Hour

This line became so famous that it returned to Rush Hour 2. Carter, at first, is a bit of an obnoxious and selfish person in Rush Hour. When he first meets Detective Lee, Carter acts like a typical uneducated person who assumes that a foreign person doesn't understand English. He even does the typical slow speaking, as if that is somehow going to make a person understand them, "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"

As much as Carter is fitting into an annoying and ugly role as a demeaning person talking down to someone who speaks a different language, Chris Tucker sells it as a hilarious moment with his unforgettable delivery. This bit of ignorance is made even funnier when Lee decides to just toy with Carter by smiling and pretending not to understand.

29 "I Didn’t Say I Didn’t, You Assumed I Didn’t."

Lee - Rush Hour

While Jackie Chan movies were already international successes, this was the first major American role where Chan spoke English and led to a big Hollywood career with films like Shanghai Noon and The Karate Kid. The movie has a lot of fun with this fact as there is a large portion in the first entry in which Lee appears not to understand English. In reality, Lee is simply playing with Carter and perhaps getting back at him for immediately assuming he doesn't speak English, leading to this hilariously scathing line when Lee finally reveals he is quite good at speaking English.

This line sets up the movie's interesting twist on the fish-out-of-water story

This line sets up the movie's interesting twist on the fish-out-of-water story with Lee coming to Los Angeles but proving that he is more capable than most people are willing to give him credit for. However, Carter gets to throw the line back at Lee in the end after revealing he knows some Cantonese.

28 "I Like To Let People Talk Who Like To Talk. It Lets Me Find Out How Full of S*** They Are."

Lee - Rush Hour

Going back to buddy cop movies like 48 Hrs, there is often a dynamic that works with the more stoic and action-oriented character being paired with the sillier and verbose character. While both Chan and Tucker are gifted comedians, Chan plays a great straight man to Tucker's wild energy at times while also making him look foolish at other times.

After revealing that he speaks English, Lee delivers this his Rush Hour quote that suggests that Carter's penchant for talking too much reveals a lot about the kind of person he is which, for at least a moment, renders Carter speechless. What makes the moment even funnier is that, after this profound insult Lee delivers, Carter just makes a joke about how he cannot understand what he's saying and proceeds to mock Lee's musings, only helping to prove Lee's point.

27 "You Invited Them To Get Naked And Sacrifice A Small Goat."

Lee - Rush Hour 2

Despite the gag at the end of Rush Hour that suggests otherwise, Carter proves during Rush Hour 2 that he does not have a strong grasp on foreign languages. This leads to a predictable yet fun recurring joke throughout the sequel in which Carter tries to speak Mandarin only for the translation to go horribly wrong. During the early scene with Lee and Carter out on the town, Carter attempts to flirt with some girls only for Lee to reveal the real and embarrassing meaning behind what he said to them.

It makes for a funny moment at the expense of Cater's ignorance

It is an absurd moment to suggest that Carter accidentally delivered this very specific phrase. However, it makes for a funny moment at the expense of Cater's ignorance. Carter's confused pause followed by him asking "which word was 'goat?'" makes the joke even funnier.

26 "All He Wanted Was Some Mu Shu."

Lee - Rush Hour 2

Part of the setup for Rush Hour 2 is that Lee is on a case while back home in Hong Kong while Carter is just looking to unwind on vacation. Carter is always less enthusiastic about being the hero than Lee and he is often complaining about not having enough fun while they are out. He continuously insists he wants to find some "mu shu," mistaking a pork dish for some sexual activity.

After a mishap makes Lee think that Carter has been killed, Lee takes a moment to mourn his friend and lament "all he wanted was some mu shu." It is a hilarious Rush Hour quote that juxtaposes Lee's sad demeanor. It is another great example of Jack Chan's comedic skills with this pitch-perfect delivery. It is also easy to laugh at knowing that Carter is alive and well.

25 "My Daddy Once Caught A Bullet With His Bare Hands."

Lee - Rush Hour

The buddy cop movie banter between Chan and Tucker is the best part of the Rush Hour movies and the first movie has a particularly charming exchange as the two heroes begin to warm up to each other and learn that they are not so different. After discovering that they both had fathers who were police officers, they begin exchanging stories about how impressive their own fathers were, trying to top the other.

It is a nice bonding moment between the two men, showing that Lee is willing to join in on being ridiculous while hanging out with Carter

However, it is Lee who takes it to an extreme by suggesting that his father caught a bullet with his bare hands, an obvious lie that feels more like something Carter would embellish. It is a nice bonding moment between the two men, showing that Lee is willing to join in on being ridiculous while hanging out with Carter, something that happens more often the closer the friends become.

24 "The Beach Boys Are Great American Music."

Lee - Rush Hour

The cultural clash is a big part of the humor in these movies and a lot of it comes from Carter being ignorant or outright confused by the Chinese culture Lee introduces to him. However, it seems that Lee at least has some appreciation for American culture, albeit a rather surface-level example. When driving in Los Angeles, Lee finds The Beach Boys on Carter's radio and expresses his admiration for the music much to Carter's disapproval.

Lee's enthusiasm for the older music shows his lighter side outside of being a cop. Carter's incredulous reaction sells the moment even more as he chastizes Lee for "touching a Black man's radio." However, Carter seems to come around on the music as he and Lee are introduced in Rush Hour 2 singing "California Girls" while driving down the streets of Hong Kong.

23 "We Can Hang In My Crib. I Will Show You My ‘Hood.'"

Lee - Rush Hour

Though it took three years to happen, the end of Rush Hour perfectly set up the sequel as a direct continuation that would continue to play off the action-comedy's premise of culture clash. Following their joint efforts to save the day, Lee and Carter decide to go on a trip together back to Hong Kong. Lee seems to relish being in the position of host this time, promising to give Carter the tour in a humorous way.

Shows the growing friendship between the two, sharing the culture together while still teasing each other.

The funny Rush Hour quote shows the growing friendship between the two, sharing the culture together while still teasing each other. Though Lee was often the butt of Carter's ignorant jokes throughout their adventure, once the day is saved, he is more than willing to join in on the fun and throw some of those cultural jabs back at Carter.

22 "That's Bad For You!"

Lee - Rush Hour

While Chris Tucker gets most of the jokes in the movies, Jackie Chan is responsible for Rush Hour's hard-hitting fight scenes that elevate the movie from a simple buddy cop trilogy into a memorable franchise. One of the best examples of this is when Carter takes Lee to a criminal's club to question him. After finding himself alone, Lee makes enemies quickly, leading to him fighting off the room full of criminals. After some unfortunate misunderstandings, the scene erupts into a fight with Lee using everything from pool cues to stools to fight off his attackers.

Of course, he is the last one standing, aside from one stunned onlooker smoking weed in the corner. After beating down the rest of the men, Lee takes the man's joint and disposes of it with a health warning, showing that, despite his being able to beat up a crew of bad guys, he still looks out for people.

21 "That’s My CD! Don’t You Ever Touch A Chinese Man’s CD!"

Lee - Rush Hour 2

Lee's love of the Beach Boys becomes something of a running joke in these movies with Rush Hour 2 reintroducing the two heroes cruising around Hong Kong while listening to "California Girls" by the band. After Carter decides the music is scaring off the women, he tosses the CD. Lee's angry reaction is a hilarious callback to Carter's line in the first movie as he then tells Carter that he owes him a copy of "The Best of The Beach Boys."

The moment sets up the obvious yet clever premise for the second Rush Hour movie, to switch the dynamic of the fish out of water.

The moment sets up the obvious yet clever premise for the second Rush Hour movie, to switch the dynamic of the fish out of water. It is immediately a lot of fun to see Lee as the one who is in charge and knows his way around this world while Carter is the one out of his element and unsure what to do most of the time.

20 "Yeah, I’m A Player."

Lee - Rush Hour 2

While the friendship between Carter and Lee is at the center of the Rush Hour movies, there is a little time for romance as well. Isabella is the love interest that emerges for Lee in Rush Hour 2. As she is an undercover operative on the same mission as Lee, their relationship is strictly professional for much of the movie. However, when they are saying goodbye at the end of the sequel, Isabella gives Lee a kiss before walking away.

Carter witnesses the moment and compliments Lee on his style to which Lee proudly says. "I'm a player," something his shy nature seemed to suggest otherwise. It is another hilarious delivery by Jack Chan showing the charm and innocence that makes him so likable while also highlighting how he and Carter hang out and have their own guy talk.

19 "Carter I Believe W**** Is Spelled With A W."

Lee - Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 is not the best of the Rush Hour movies and the laughs certainly don't land as well as the previous two installments. However, there are still some funny moments to be found even among the most obvious and tired gags the sequel brings out. In one sequence, Lee and Carter are interrogating a French suspect, using a nun to translate.

It is a clever play on the bad cop interrogation moment and also funny that Lee gets caught up in Carter's ridiculous insults.

Carter begins telling the nun to tough-talk the perpetrator while being aware of her hesitancy to swear, saying "F word" and "S word" to appease her. However, when he tells her "You tell him that his mama's an H," Lee correctly guesses the word he is looking for actually starts with a W. It is a clever play on the bad cop interrogation moment and also funny that Lee gets caught up in Carter's ridiculous insults.

18 "You’re Lucky We’re Not In Hong Kong. Phone Book Is Twice As Big."

Lee - Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 finds the duo in another new international location as the action takes them to France. Once again the movie finds a new way to approach the fish-out-of-water dynamic as it makes both Lee and Carter outsiders in this new country. This means they find themselves unwelcome by the criminal element as well as the local police who find them to be meddling foreigners.

After Carter complains that he was beaten by French police with a phone book during questioning, Lee offers the solace that at least he wasn't dealing with a phone book from the more populated Hong Kong. Of course, this is one Rush Hour joke that aged poorly as most younger audience likely don't even know what a phone book is. However, it is still a funny and quick retort delivered by Jackie Chan.

17 "My Own Mama’s Ashamed Of Me. She Tells Everybody I’m A Drug Dealer."

Carter - Rush Hour

Though Chris Tucker was a young comedian when Rush Hour was made, he cemented himself as a star with his hilarious line deliveries and largely improvised dialogue. One of his funniest moments comes when Carter laments the reputation of the LAPD and that they are the most hated police force on the planet. He adds that his mother tells people he is a drug dealer to hide her embarrassment.

It is a hilariously absurd Rush Hour quote that Tucker delivers perfectly.

It is a hilariously absurd Rush Hour quote that Tucker delivers perfectly. It also sets up a small arc for Carter in the first movie as he wants nothing more than to escape the embarrassment of the LAPD and get a job with the FBI. However, after working with the pompous FBI agents on this case, when they finally offer him a job at the end of the movie, he hilariously shoves it in their faces and chooses to remain with the LAPD.

16 "The Girl Don’t Like You! Nobody Likes You!"

Carter - Rush Hour

While it is nice to see Lee and Carter eventually become friends, their combative relationship early in Rush Hour is filled with a lot of funny moments, especially when Carter realizes he has been duped by Lee. After Lee insists he help out with the investigation of the kidnapped daughter of the Chinese consulate, Carter insists no one involved in the case wants his help and that they, and Carter himself, don't like Lee. When Lee claims he doesn't care and he only wants to help the girl, Carter fires back "The girl don't like you."

It is a hilarious and childish moment that comes in the middle of the serious kidnapping investigation. Carter just wants to insult Lee no matter what and the dejected look Lee gives after Carter says this helps to set up the pair's banter throughout the rest of the movie.

15 "That Block Was Already Messed Up."

Carter - Rush Hour

Action comedies like Rush Hour often make over-the-top action set pieces part of the comedy and the mindless destruction is largely ignored. This usually leads to the clichéd but welcome scene of the superior officer reprimanding the loose-cannon officer for the destruction they caused. In Carter's introductory scene, he is conducting an undercover bust that ends with him blowing up a car filled with C4 in a Los Angeles city block.

It is another scene of Chris Tucker's wonderful comedic energy in the movie

The movie then delivers a hilarious scene of the police captain reprimanding Carter for the incident as Carter offers lame excuses for why it was not so bad. It is another scene of Chris Tucker's wonderful comedic energy in the movie as the captain complains that he lost all the evidence in the process and Carter corrects him, "We still got a little bit left."

14 "Whoa! Damn! I'm Sorry Man, I Thought This Was The Bathroom."

Carter - Rush Hour 3

Carter is always rudely going off about the height of Lee and other Chinese people, which makes it a bit of karma when he goes to investigate Soo Yung's academy in Rush Hour 3. He meets a massive student played by Sun Ming Ming who is almost eight feet tall. What makes Carter's reaction even funnier is the camera angle used to display the drastic size difference between the two men.

Combined with Carter's wide-eyed and loud reaction of terror, it's a great moment of Carter being put in his place. It is another great element that Chris Tucker brings to the movie as he is not worried about constantly looking tough. Some of his best moments in the franchise are like this, which show Carter's fear and reluctance to put himself in any situation in which he might get hurt.

13 "Damn... He Ain't Gonna Be In Rush Hour 3."

Carter - Rush Hour 2

It may not be a quote from the actual movie, but this outtake from Rush Hour 2 is one of the funniest of all three movie outtake reels. Chris Tucker likely ad-libbed so many different quips to respond to the death of a villain that he just decided to break the fourth wall. Even Jackie Chan himself immediately breaks out of character as a response to, "Damn...he ain't gonna be in Rush Hour 3."

It's easy to see why the filmmakers picked that particular clip for the bloopers.

It's easy to see why the filmmakers picked that particular clip for the bloopers. If fourth-wall-breaking wasn't so alien to the franchise, this likely would have been a great line in the actual movie. It also shows that Tucker likely improvised a lot of great material that might never have made it into the movie, showing his cleverness and speed as a comedian.

12 "I'll Slap You So Hard, You'll End Up In The Ming Dynasty."

Carter - Rush Hour 2

It's understandable that all Carter wants to do in Rush Hour 2 is take a vacation. However, Lee is always doing his job which leads to him lying to Carter about taking on a new case which keeps interfering with their more fun and carefree plans. Carter then responds with a hilarious threat as they drive through Hong Kong, "Don't be messing with me, Lee. I will slap you so hard, you'll end up in the Ming dynasty."

Carter tends to use a lot of Chinese stereotypes in his insults, but that's part of the charm of his friendship with Lee. They push each other's buttons but never go too far, just enough to satisfy those with a more twisted sense of humor. It is also funny that Carter would threaten to beat Lee up when it is clear that he would not last for a minute in a fight with Lee.

11 "Woo! You Know He Dead!"

Carter - Rush Hour

Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson stepped into the villain role in the first Rush Hour as the treacherous Juntao. Between kidnapping an innocent child, taking countless lives, and destroying ancient Chinese artifacts, Juntao more than earned his death. This is why Carter's calm reaction to Juntao falling to his death is humorous because he does not show one bit of shock or sympathy.

Casually, Carter just comments, "Woo! You know he dead," almost like he just witnessed the villain of a video game die instead of a real human being.

Casually, Carter just comments, "Woo! You know he dead," almost like he just witnessed the villain of a video game die instead of a real human being. Like Chris Tucker's line in the Rush Hour 2 gag reel, it is a funny comment on action movie with the bad guy suffering a dramatic and elaborate death scene which they will surely not survive. It is a perfect topper to the crowd-pleasing moment of Juntao's death.