So the racism is a little toned down (not much), but the sexism is still on display as Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) return for a third (and final?) go-round.

Things get underway when Lee finds himself back in Los Angeles, serving as security for his old friend Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma). Han is in town to make an international announcement, they are on the verge of breaking the back of the notorious triad gangs and finally bringing them down.

Before Han can reveal the details he’s shot by an assassin, and Lee sets off in pursuit, joined by Carter who intercepts the call, and Lee makes a horrifying discovery, the shooter is an old friend of Lee’s, and a major triad player, Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada).

Soon Lee and Carter find themselves on a hunt for a list of triad members, held by Genevieve (Noemie Lenoir) as the case takes them from LA to Paris.

The action sequences this time around seem a little less-than-inspired, though the Eiffel Tower sequence could have been really spectacular. Chan is still incredibly likable and enjoyable to watch on screen, whereas Tucker’s Carter seems to have gotten louder and more annoying than he was in the first film.

It’s hard to argue that either character has really grown throughout the series of films, they’re almost like cardboard cutouts that are placed in sequences in the films and just let things happen, with no real growth or change for either of them by story’s end.

There are callbacks to the first film, including Han’s now grownup daughter, Soo Yung (Jingchu Zhang), who finds herself in trouble again in the climax of the film, and Carter and Lee have to save her, stop Kenji and the triads, and protect Genevieve until her knowledge of the gangs can be revealed.

It’s not a horrible film, but it doesn’t feel as strong as it could have been, I think because no growth is expected of any of the characters, it’s the same routines, the same gags, and the same moves over and over again, and perhaps the series has finally realized it overstayed its welcome.

And somehow, as mentioned previously, Tucker got paid tons more than Chan for his work in the three films where it’s quite apparent that it’s Chan who is doing the most work. The series started racist, sexist and homophobic, and did nothing really to improve itself as it went on, it just recycled itself over and over, and honestly, it’s time to let this franchise go.

Now I can say I’ve seen all three of them, I can file them away and forget them, and perhaps find some really good Jackie Chan films to watch instead.