The Rush Hour franchise was created by Ross LaManna and features a selection of films starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in leading roles. The films focus on two police detectives from different countries and jurisdictions, Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective James Carter (Trucker), who fight crime and often find themselves in humorous situations.

There have been three films released in the franchise so far, between 1998 and 2007 as well as a spin off TV series. The buddy cop comedy franchise has a strong cult following. Despite its popularity with audiences, however, the future of the franchise is unknown. That said, Tucker told the Winging It podcast (via Comicbook.com) that he, Chan, and the studio want to return for Rush Hour 4. Speaking to ESPN's podcast The Plug (via Pop Culture), Chan assured that the delay was due to the quality of the script. Until we learn more about a fourth film, let's review and rank all of the movies in the Rush Hour franchise.

3 Rush Hour 3

Rush Hour 3 is the latest release in the franchise, being released in 2007. The film was directed by Brett Ratner and features Chan and Tucker returning to their roles for a third time. Rush Hour 3 centers around Inspector Lee and Detective Carter as they track an assassin and unravel a mystery surrounding the Chinese Triads. The film was a box office success, however, was the most critically panned of all three main films in the story. The film is enjoyable, but lacks the dynamic of the original and ultimately does not live up to the standard set before it.

Related: Rush Hour 4: Will the Sequel Ever Happen?

2 Rush Hour 2

Rush Hour 2 was released in 2001 and was the first sequel to hit theaters after the success of the first film. The film was directed by Jeff Nathanson and, again, features Chan and Tucker returning to their roles. This time, the story involves an explosion at the US Embassy in Hong Kong, which kills two customs agents who are investigating currency smuggling. Inspector Lee and Detective Carter then search for the mastermind behind this, and the head of the Fu-Cang Long Triad sends his minions to try and stop them from solving the case. It’s a good sequel that performed well at the box office and was praised by critics for the humor, however, it ultimately felt flatter than the original.

1 Rush Hour

The original film in the franchise, Rush Hour was released in 1998 and was directed by Brett Ratner. This is the first film that starred Chan and Tucker as the mismatched police officers who have to come together to save a Chinese diplomat’s daughter who is kidnapped in Los Angeles. They have both been ditched by the FBI and police and decide to work together to solve the case, and discover why they were ditched from their jobs. The film was a huge box office success and is the most critically praised film in the franchise. For the Rush Hour franchise, it’s another case of “nothing beats the original”.