Jackie Chan
成龙
A hero is being hung down from a helicopter some 200 feet above. As the sun bets down, he swings about. Suddenly, a top needle of a skyscraper is pressing toward him. He fails to dodge and bumps heavily on the concrete needle.
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。
This stimulating shot impressed in numerous Jackie Chan fans. Now it's the “rush hour” to be repaid for that devotion for him. As an Asia’s favorite action hero, he has finally conquered Hollywood. Rush Hour, Chan’s new made-in-America blockbuster, rocketed to the top of the charts on its opening weekend in the United States, winning an unexpected cross-over audience. In three days, the box-office tally was $33 million — the highest weekend gross ever for New Line Cinema. Now in its sixth week in American theatres, the film, directed by Brett Ratner, has so far taken in more than $117 million.
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，票房就达到三千三百万美元——这是新干线影院最高的周收入。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。
Chan had already scored when such films as Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike were released in mainstream theatres in the U. S., and not just in Chinatown and specialty video stores. Now Rush Hour has turned Jackie Chan into a household name the way Enter the Dragon made a legend of Bruce Lee.
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。
The bi-racial pairing and good cop/bad cop storyline are predictably formulaic 一 Chan is Chinese and co-star Chris Tucker is black 一 similar to such films as the Lethal Weapon series starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Yet the producers have wisely focused on the strengths of the two stars: Tucker’s hilarious, rapid-fire jive-talk, and Chan’s nimble derring-do in tight spaces and high places.
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·塔克是黑人一这就像是《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。
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 58 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, Jackie Chan’s relaunch as an action hero in the West is a resounding triumph.
成龙迷们会发现，他的滑稽噱头多已较为眼熟，且很多抢眼镜头多是靠摄影技巧而非真实的绝技。毕竟，成龙快58岁了，在香港电影中一些引以为荣的危险绝技在好莱坞的保险条例中是不允许做的。尽管如此，成龙一直被认为是中国电影界最受欢迎和尊重的明星之 一。与亚洲人常一成不变的扮演小偷或“天地会”会众的角色相比，成龙在西方影坛重树了动作片的英雄形象的确是一大成功。