Sterling

Sterling is a U.S. Secret Service agent in Rush Hour 2. He is portrayed by Harris Yulin.

Rush Hour 2
Sterling first appears at the Yau Ma Tei Police Station talking with Captain Chin about the ongoing investigation into the bombing at the American Embassy. He informs him that the two Americans were killed at was on property own by the U.S. Government and that its investigation belongs to the secret service. Chin tells him that Chief Inspector Lee would supervise his people but Sterling refuses saying that Lee is to report directly to him. Lee and Carter then walked into the police station naked and covered with trash can lids and newspapers after having been captured and stripped of their clothes by Hu Li. After Lee gets dressed, he meets with Sterling and Chin in Chin's office. Sterling tells Lee that the men who were killed were not American translators, but U.S. customs agents trying to break a Triad smuggling ring.

Lee asks him how can he help them and Sterling suggests that Lee should stay out of his way. Lee tells him that he can get him Ricky Tan, but Sterling tells him that they are using Ricky Tan as bait to lure out the person responsible for the smuggling ring.

Chin later called Lee and told him that they just received word that Ricky Tan would be throwing a dinner party on his yacht. When Lee asks if he told Sterling, Chin tells him to let him find out on his own cause he wants the Hong Kong Police Force to handle this.

Sterling appeared again after the confrontation with Hu Li, Tan, Lee and Carter, which resulted in Tan's death. Sterling, upset over losing Tan, (as he was their only bait), holds Lee responsible for his death. However, with no evidence to prove otherwise, Sterling simply orders Lee off the case. Sterling also orders Carter to be flown back to Los Angeles for involving himself. Chin apologizes to Lee and tells two patrolmen to escort Carter to the airport, but Lee interrupts and says that he'll take him to the airport.

Later one of Sterling's agents Isabella Molina tells Lee and Carter that their case is looking into Steven Reign's money laundering of one hundred million dollars in super bills (high grade counterfeit one hundred dollar bills) Isabella then takes a lighter and reveals that the money used is fake, setting the dollar on fire and watching it burn red instead of black, claiming that they used a transfer of ink from India that burns red, but the real one burns black. She then concludes that they should find the plates because if they do, then they could expose the entire operation. She asks them (Seductively, while slowly undressing) if they can find out where Hu Li is keeping the plates and they agree. Isabella welcomes them aboard and tells them from this moment on, they are working for the United States Secret Service. After Lee and Carter leave her suite, she calls Sterling and says that both of them are officially out of the Secret Service's way.

In Las Vegas, Ricky Tan was revealed to have faked his death (with help from Hu Li) to trick Lee and Carter. Tan was also revealed as the mastermind behind the counterfeit smuggling ring. He had made a deal with Reign for the operation but Reign tells him that he is cutting their deal short and is keeping the plates. Tan kills Reign for this. Lee then kills Ricky Tan by kicking him through a window where he fell to his death outside. Hu Li is also killed when Lee and Carter leave her to die in an explosion by her own bomb.

At the end of the film at the Las Vegas Airport, Sterling thanks Lee for successfully solving the case saying that the Secret Service is indeted to him. He then tells Isabella that he will see her on board the plane and heads for his flight. It is presumed that he goes to New York along with Isabella.

Trivia

 * Sterling is most likely based on Warren Russ from the first film. Both of them wanted no part of Carter or Lee's help so that they would solve the case themselves.
 * Although Isabella is one of his agents, Sterling himself is not mentioned in Rush Hour 3.