Chris TuckerandJackie Chanare perfectly mismatched inRush Hour, the 1998 action comedy that began a hit franchise. In two more installments, LAPD Detective Carter (Tucker) and Hong Kong Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) get caught up in one international criminal plot after another. Althoughthere was a TV show that tried to recapture what fans loved about the movies, it missed the most important element that brought the laughs and the martial arts stunts — Tucker and Chan. While their on-screen cops would save the day, off-screen, the production ofRush Hour 2got entangled in what looked like a criminal plot Lee and Carter might have put a stop to, and it was all because of a movie prop.
The New Case Lee and Carter Need To Crack in ‘Rush Hour 2’
After saving a Hong Kong diplomat’s daughter from a crime lord inRush Hour, Carter and Lee deserve some time off. Swapping out Los Angeles for Hong Kong, the duo’s vacation inRush Hour 2quickly becomes less relaxing. They get involved in a crime ring involving the laundering of “superdollars” bythe Triad, pitting the partners against a man with connections to Lee’s past, a bomb-loving henchwoman, and an undercover U.S. Secret Service agent. Even though they may bicker endlessly, Lee and Carter are the right ones to foil the crime syndicate’s making of high-quality counterfeit money.This required a significant amount of counterfeit money to be produced for the production. That was exactly the assignment forGregg Bilson Jr., CEO of ISS Props, but he had no idea what trouble he would be under from the movie magic.
We Can Thank Jackie Chan and ‘Rush Hour’ for Rotten Tomatoes
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The One Movie Prop ‘Rush Hour 2’ Needed a Lot Of
Back in the firstRush Hour, cash was needed forthe ransom drop-offs that Lee and Carter kept interrupting. By the finale, asJackie ChanandTom Wilkinsondangle high above the Los Angeles Convention Center, a rain of cash flutters down around Carter, who sneaks some into his pockets. Money is even more critical to the sequel’s plot, wherethe “superbills" are not easily detectable except if lit on fire, the ink used produces a bright red flame.It’s aMacGuffinthat is part of a funny gag where Carter sneaks bundles of the counterfeit bills into his pockets, and it actually saves him byprotecting his heart from a fatal wound: “Thank you, Benjamin!” The money used is prominent enough in the movie that it couldn’t look like pieces taken from a Monopoly game.
The onscreen presence of the “superbills” meant ISS Props needed to make a lot of it and have it all look authentic. The biggest difference between the ransom payoff inRush Hourand the “superbills” in the sequel is thatRush Hour 2ended up having a run-in with a real law enforcement agency due to the prop money. Ina video for Insider, Gregg Bilson Jr. revealed $1 trillion in prop dollars were made, most of which were destined to be destroyed in the finale’s explosion. “We didn’t attempt to make fake money to dupe the public,” he said. What can only be described as a very meta turn of events,Rush Hour 2didn’t only have a Secret Service agent in the script, but the real-life agency entered the picture when the prop bills started to raise red flags about their use away from the cameras.
Why the Secret Service Got Involved in ‘Rush Hour 2’
As TheInsider video reported, an unspecified amount ofthe prop money didn’t stay on the set, waiting for the next scene to be used.Several of the extras took some of the money — though some claimed it was accidental — and went on to use it for real-world purchases.The activity caused the United States Secret Service to get involvedand put a stop to not just the stolen money, but ensure none of what the props team created could be at a risk of further improper use.The agency ordered ISS Props to cease making the bills, and “sent a recall letter to every production company that ordered the prop cash,” destroying all of it, which became a major loss to Bilson Jr. due to how expensive the prop cost to make (he is still unable to legally create more prop bills). All because of the effort to be authentic on-screen.
Admittedly, there are often small details added to distinguish real and fake bills, including having a detailed image on the front but a blank image on the back. But in the pursuit of accuracy,movie props can bring unintended consequencesthat go beyond what happened duringRush Hour 2. The problems can range from upsetting — like thefake drugs that actors consumewhich have caused health issues — to deadly, such as thewidely publicized gun accidentsin movie history. In some cases, productions can almost commit forgery, andRush Hour 2found out the hard way when its counterfeit plot accidentally became a very real concern.
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 2is currently available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
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