Are you a fan of the classic buddy cop action-comedy Rush Hour? Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s hilarious chemistry as mismatched police partners cracking a big case made for a wildly entertaining movie. The combination of exciting martial arts action sequences and laugh-out-loud comedy was a winning formula.
If you loved Rush Hour and are craving more movies that hit that sweet spot between thrills and laughs, look no further. We’ve rounded up the 15 best comedy movies that capture a similar vibe and are guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat while busting a gut. Get ready for car chases, explosions, witty one-liners, and unlikely crimefighting duos. Here are the must-watch comedic action romps in the spirit of Rush Hour:
1. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Before Rush Hour, there was Beverly Hills Cop. This iconic 80s action-comedy made Eddie Murphy a superstar and pioneered a new breed of funny, fast-paced, high-octane cop movies.
Murphy plays Axel Foley, a streetwise Detroit cop who heads to ritzy Beverly Hills to solve the murder of his best friend. Fish-out-of-water hilarity ensues as Axel’s unorthodox policing style clashes with the strait-laced Beverly Hills PD. But like Jackie Chan in Rush Hour, Murphy’s charm and comedic chops are firing on all cylinders.
With a chart-topping soundtrack, quotable lines, and some impressive action set pieces to boot, Beverly Hills Cop set the standard for the action-comedy genre. It’s still as fresh and fun today as it was almost 40 years ago. If you dig Rush Hour, consider this essential viewing.
2. Lethal Weapon (1987)
On paper, a movie about a veteran cop on the edge being partnered with a by-the-book detective sounds like a recipe for a gritty action thriller. But Lethal Weapon expertly undercuts its dark subject matter with a sharp comedic streak, largely thanks to the instant buddy chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
Gibson’s Martin Riggs, a live wire with a death wish since his wife passed away, is the wild card to Glover’s Roger Murtaugh, a long-suffering family man on the verge of retirement. Watching these two bicker and grudgingly bond as they take on a deadly drug-smuggling ring is a riot.
Like Jackie Chan’s kung-fu antics in Rush Hour, Mel Gibson did many of his own stunts, resulting in exhilarating action scenes and slapstick physical comedy. Lethal Weapon kicked off a franchise that spanned four films, all of which are worth checking out if you want more of Riggs & Murtaugh’s combustible camaraderie.
3. Midnight Run (1988)
This one’s a bit of a twist on the buddy cop formula, as neither of the main characters are actually cops. Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter tasked with transporting Charles Grodin’s neurotic mob accountant across the country, with the FBI and mafia in hot pursuit.
The oil-and-water odd couple pairing of De Niro and Grodin is comedy gold. Watching the two leads play off each other as they get into one misadventure after another on their cross-country trek is endlessly entertaining. You can’t help but root for these guys.
While it’s light on action compared to Rush Hour, Midnight Run delivers huge laughs and surprisingly touching character moments. It’s a stone-cold 80s comedy classic that takes the buddy action-comedy format on a fun detour.
4. Bad Boys (1995)
You can thank Bad Boys for launching both Will Smith’s mega-watt movie star career and Michael Bay’s explosion-filled filmography. Before Rush Hour, this was the gold standard for flashy, funny buddy cop action flicks in the 90s.
Smith and Martin Lawrence play a pair of Miami narcotics detectives investigating a dangerous drug kingpin. The two have an electric back-and-forth rapport, mixing Smith’s smooth ladies’ man persona with Lawrence’s short-fused family man.
Bay’s signature over-the-top action mayhem is on full display, but it’s the comedic moments between the two leads that really make Bad Boys sing. From their “bad boys” theme song to Lawrence’s pitch-perfect delivery of “Whatcha gonna do?” this movie is endlessly quotable and rewatchable.
5. Rush Hour 2 (2001)
While we’re on the subject, we can’t not mention Rush Hour 2. This sequel takes Chan and Tucker’s buddy cop duo to Hong Kong and ratchets up the action and comedy to even more delightful extremes.
From Chan’s dexterous fight scene in a massage parlor to Tucker teaching him how to dance, the movie is jam-packed with hilarious and thrilling set pieces. Don Cheadle also shows up as a scenery-chewing villain.
No, the plot doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Chan and Tucker’s chemistry is even better this time around. Watching these two bounce off each other is such a joy. Rush Hour 2 is the rare sequel that matches (and arguably surpasses) the original. It’s a must for fans of the first film.
6. Shanghai Noon (2000)
Okay, so it’s not technically a buddy cop movie. But Shanghai Noon has Jackie Chan protecting a Chinese princess in the Old West with the help of a wisecracking outlaw played by Owen Wilson. That’s close enough, right?
This East-meets-Western is a total blast, letting Chan loose to perform his acrobatic martial arts stunts against a cowboy backdrop. Wilson’s laidback surfer dude charm is a great foil to Chan’s fish-out-of-water character. The two make for a highly amusing pair.
While the action takes a more lighthearted, comedic approach compared to Rush Hour‘s hard-hitting set pieces, Shanghai Noon delivers plenty of Chan’s signature fight scenes and daring stunts. It’s a uniquely goofy, genre-mashing romp that Rush Hour fans will get a kick out of.
7. Hot Fuzz (2007)
This British action-comedy from the mad geniuses behind Shaun of the Dead lovingly pokes fun at the conventions of buddy cop movies while still being a great buddy cop movie in its own right.
Simon Pegg stars as a London super-cop who gets relocated to a sleepy English village, where he teams up with an oafish but well-meaning local officer played by Nick Frost. The two investigate a series of suspicious accidents that turn out to be covering up a sinister conspiracy.
Hot Fuzz is packed with clever genre riffs, rapid-fire jokes, and some surprisingly kick-ass action scenes when all the foreshadowing pays off in the bonkers third act. Like Rush Hour, it strikes a tricky tone between hard-hitting action and laugh-out-loud comedy.
8. The Other Guys (2010)
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg make for an unexpectedly awesome comedic duo in this absurdist riff on buddy cop action movies from Anchorman director Adam McKay.
Ferrell’s mild-mannered forensic accountant and Wahlberg’s hot-tempered detective are desk jockeys who get a chance to step up when the force’s two alpha-male super-cops (played to perfection by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson) are put out of commission.
The Other Guys is more overtly silly than Rush Hour, but its go-for-broke comedy and legitimate action chops make it a worthy contemporary cousin. The sheer goofiness of Ferrell and Wahlberg’s interplay will have you howling.
9. 21 Jump Street (2012)
On paper, a comedic big-screen reboot of a semi-serious 80s cop show starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill sounds like a terrible idea. But 21 Jump Street is an absolute miracle of a buddy action-comedy that delivers huge laughs and slick action in equal measure.
Tatum and Hill play a pair of rookie cops who go undercover as high school students to bust a drug ring. Watching these two grown men awkwardly try to blend in with teenagers while bickering with each other is comedy gold.
Like Rush Hour, 21 Jump Street takes its action and criminal plotting seriously while still mining the situation for big laughs. It’s one of the most purely entertaining action-comedies of the 2010s and a testament to the enduring power of the mismatched buddy cop formula.
10. Central Intelligence (2016)
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart prove to be a comedic dream team in this riff on the buddy action-comedy formula. Hart plays a mild-mannered accountant who gets sucked into the high-stakes world of international espionage by Johnson’s eccentric CIA agent.
Johnson is clearly having a blast playing against type as a formerly nerdy fat kid turned buff secret agent with a goofy sense of humor. His chemistry with Hart’s neurotic everyman is off the charts, leading to many big laughs.
While it’s lighter on action than Rush Hour, Central Intelligence still features some solid set pieces and fight scenes amid the constant stream of jokes. Johnson and Hart are so much fun to watch together that you’ll immediately want them to make more movies as a duo.
11. Ride Along (2014)
Before he teamed up with The Rock, Kevin Hart was playing mismatched partner to Ice Cube’s gruff Atlanta cop in this hit buddy action-comedy. Hart stars as a fast-talking school security guard who must prove himself to his girlfriend’s police officer brother by riding along with him on a dangerous case.
Hart’s manic energy clashing with Cube’s no-nonsense tough guy act is a reliable source of laughs. The two have a great odd couple vibe that carries the movie through some routine plotting.
While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Rush Hour, Ride Along is a totally serviceable buddy cop comedy with a pair of leads who play hilariously off each other. Sometimes that’s all you need.
12. The Nice Guys (2016)
This 70s-set noir action-comedy from Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black is like a spiritual successor to that movie’s brand of mismatched buddy heroics. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling star as a pair of private eyes investigating a missing persons case that spirals into a massive conspiracy.
Crowe’s gruff bruiser and Gosling’s bumbling alcoholic make for a perfect comedic pairing, bouncing off each other in consistently amusing and surprising ways as they get in over their heads.
With bloody shootouts and bone-crunching brawls punctuating the laughs, The Nice Guys is tonally in line with Rush Hour. It’s one of the most underrated action-comedies of recent years and destined for cult classic status.
13. Starsky & Hutch (2004)
This big-screen remake of the 70s cop show is a silly, shaggy hang-out comedy that coasts on the effortless buddy chemistry of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. The two play the title duo, a pair of mismatched detectives who must put aside their differences to bring down a drug kingpin.
Stiller’s uptight, by-the-book Starsky and Wilson’s laid-back, wisecracking Hutch are a classic comedic odd couple. Watching them bounce off each other while donning vintage 70s threads is consistently funny.
While it’s much more of a straight comedy than an action movie, Starsky & Hutch still delivers a few solid chase scenes and shootouts. But the main attraction is seeing Stiller and Wilson goofing around in a unique setting. Their easygoing buddy dynamic is reminiscent of Chan and Tucker in Rush Hour.
14. 48 Hrs. (1982)
This is the OG mismatched buddy action-comedy that inspired countless imitators. Eddie Murphy made his explosive film debut opposite Nick Nolte’s grizzled cop in this classic 80s romp.
Nolte’s hard-boiled detective must team up with Murphy’s wisecracking convict to catch a cop killer. The two leads have crackling chemistry, with Murphy’s streetwise energy clashing hilariously against Nolte’s old-school machismo.
48 Hrs. established the template of pairing a loose cannon with a straight-laced partner for comedic and dramatic sparks. In that sense, it’s the most direct forerunner to Rush Hour on this list. It still holds up as a hugely entertaining and influential action-comedy.
15. National Security (2003)
Last but not least is this lesser-known buddy action-comedy that pairs Martin Lawrence’s manic ex-cop with Steve Zahn’s uptight former security guard. The two are forced to work together as lowly security guards after being thrown off the force.
Lawrence’s live-wire comic energy and Zahn’s neurotic straight man routine are an amusing mismatch. The two have enough buddy chemistry to power through the formulaic plotting.
While it’s a clear notch below Rush Hour in terms of action and laughs, National Security is still a passable buddy action-comedy for fans of the genre. Lawrence’s schtick in particular will be comfortingly familiar to anyone who enjoyed his interplay with Will Smith in Bad Boys.
So there you have it – a round-up of the best comedy movies to scratch that Rush Hour itch. From 80s classics like Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon to more recent hits like 21 Jump Street and The Nice Guys, the buddy action-comedy is a genre that keeps on giving.
These movies demonstrate the enduring appeal of watching a mismatched pair of wisecracking heroes take down the bad guys with equal doses of laughter and firepower. It’s a formula that Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker perfected in Rush Hour, but it never really gets old.
Whether you prefer your action-comedies slick and quippy or bloody and absurdist, there’s something on this list for every Rush Hour fan to enjoy. So grab some popcorn, kick back, and get ready for shootouts and punchlines galore. These hilarious high-octane romps are the perfect reminder that the best cop movies are often the funniest ones.
