Fortunately, much of the lame storyline is played for laughs. Tucker, an arrogant cop more interested in grabbing glory than in police teamwork, delivers his politically incorrect pronouncements on women, Asians, and anyone else, in a rambling, high-pitched voice. In one of the funniest scenes, Tucker takes Chan to mingle with other tourists in front of the famous Hollywood landmark, Mann’s Chinese Theatre — built as a fantasy interpretation of “Chinese” during the Art Deco period. He says: “Look familiar? Just like home, ain’t it” You might see one of your cousins walkin’ around here.”
At first, Chan seems to be a hapless patsy to Tucker’s bullying. Ultimately, he proves himself by making a getaway in the inimitable Jackie Chan way — deftly leaping from the top of a double-decker tour bus to a street sign suspended overhead, dropping onto a passing flat-bed truck, then into the motor-home of startled American vacationers, before somersaulting into a taxi.
The climax of the film comes when Chan is seen tip-toeing across five-storey-high beams inside the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
Long-time Jackie Chan fans may find his antics too familiar and the film’s slick editing relying more on camera tricks than real stunts. After all, Chan is almost 44 years old and Hollywood insurance codes prohibit actors from performing some of the outrageous stunts for which Hong Kong films are famous. Still, Chan has always been considered one of the most popular and respected stars in the Chinese film world. Given the typical typecasting of Asians as hookers or triads (witness Jet Li’s Western debut in Leathal Weapon 4), Jackie Chan’s relaunch as an action hero in the West is a resounding triumph.
在距地面约200英尺的上空，一勇士被绑在一架直升机上倒悬着。烈日当空，他来回摇摆着。突然，一座摩天大厦的尖型顶柱朝他逼来，他躲避不及，重重地撞在混凝土顶柱上。
这惊心动魄的镜头深深地印在无数成龙迷的脑海里。而今他的奋不顾身得到了“尖峰时刻”的回报。作为亚裔颇受欢迎的动作片巨星，他终于征服了好莱坞。成龙新近在美国摄制的巨片《尖峰时刻》首映周内即飚升至排行榜首，出人意料地赢得了大批非亚裔观众。仅仅三天，票房收就达到三千三百万美元——这是新干线影院早高的周收入。这部由布雷特·兰特纳执导的影片，目前在美国本土影院的第六周收入已超过一亿一千七百万美元。
早在美国主流影院放映的如《布朗克斯区的喧嚣》和《第一次的罢工》时成龙就已获得了成功，而不仅仅是在唐人街和特色录影带商店。而今《尖峰时刻》就如同当李小龙的《猛龙过江》所创造的神话那样，成龙已成为家喻户晓的名字。
两个种族的角色搭档以及红白脸式的故事情节不免有些俗套—— 成龙是中国人而联袂明星克里斯·塔克是黑人——这就像是《致命武器》中的影星梅·吉布森和丹尼·格洛弗。然而制片商明智地看中了这两个影星的长处：塔克滑稽搞笑，妙语连珠，而成龙无论高空狭隙都身手敏捷，艺胆过人。liuxuepaper.com