So the racism, sexism and homophobia are back on display in the follow-up to the break-out hit, Rush Hour. Rush Hour 2 brings Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker back into action as Lee and Carter in a sequel that looks worlds better than the first but is still steeped in the same racist issues as the first film.

Lee and Carter are in China when an explosion at the U.S. Consulate kills two undercover security agents. The FBI is determined to solve the case themselves, as it happened on American territory, but the Hong Kong police run their own investigation, with Lee taking point, and Carter tagging along causing all manner of problems.

At the heart of the attack are Ricky Tan (John Lone) and Hu Li (Ziyi Zhang) who are running a counterfeiting ring Steven Reign (Alan King). They produce counterfeit cash and then are planning to release it to the public through a Las Vegas casino.

Throw in an undercover agent, Isabella Molina (Roselyn Sanchez) who may or not be trustworthy and you’ve got a film that actually outshines the first.

The fight sequences are more tightly choreographed, Jackie seems to be more in his element moving fast and smooth, knowing how to lean into the comedic bent of the moment. Tucker seems to be having an equally good time, and he also seems to know his limitations when it comes to the action beats letting Chan do most of the heavy lifting.

The story ends up feeling more expansive with a story that travels from China to Los Angeles to Vegas. In fact, the entire film feels like a huge step up from the first film. The cinematography, the beats, the costume and the production design, all of it seem to really up the game of the franchise.

It’s just so incredibly unfortunate that there is so much racism, sexism and homophobia throughout the film (and the franchise). It’s sad that they thought the only way they thought they could get laughs was to make hateful remarks based on skin colour or sex.

Was it a sign of the times? I dunno. I think even when it came out despite the fact that it was successful, it was still troubling. The films never really appealed to me at the time, despite the fact that I really like Jackie Chan, I just didn’t like some of the things I heard in the trailer and what people were saying about it when they returned it as a video rental.

But somehow, they still got a go-ahead for a third and final film. Let’s see how that plays out…