Varden Reynard

Minister Varden Reynard is the secondary antagonist in Rush Hour 3. He is a corrupt French ambassador and Chairman of the World Criminal Court.

He is portrayed by the late Max Von Sydow.

Rush Hour 3
Reynard first appeared at the beginning of the film at the world criminal court, discussing what the Triads do.

When Soo-Yung was brought to the French Embassy, he told her that her father is okay and he said that his people would not leave his side. When Soo-Yung told Lee and Carter that they made her a promise, the limo exploded, almost killing all of them.

In Paris, he appeared again in Lee's room, discussing that Shy Shen is not a person, but a list. He then gives Lee a ticket to find Shy Shen. When Carter, Lee, and Genevieve went to Minister Reynard, they said they had Shy Shen. Lee whispers to Carter that they never told him she had the list imprinted on the back of her head. It was then that they realized that he had been working for the Triads all along. When Lee asked him why he came to his room, he told him that Genevieve was going to be killed and that having them die in the crossfire would put an end to the investigation but now it will end another way.

Carter threatens to arrest him and put him in prison but Reynard says he will not be going to prison. His phone rings and he tells Lee that he's got a phone call. Kenji is revealed to be on the other end and tells Lee that he has abducted Soo-Yung and that he would like to exchange her for Genevieve. He warns Lee that if he sees Carter or any other cops with Lee he would execute Soo-Yung. Lee asks him where he can make the exchange and Kenji tells him the Jules Verne Restaurant which is situated atop the Eiffel Tower.

Death
After Lee and Carter fall from the Eiffel Tower, they are confronted by Reynard, who is holding Genevieve hostage, and threatening to kill her and frame Lee and Carter for her death. When he was about to shoot Genevieve, George shoots Reynard from behind. The stunned Reynard walks to the water fountain and falls dead into it.

Trivia

 * Reynard was close friends with Han, but Han himself was completely unaware that Reynard would betray him to work for Kenji's organization.
 * Before his death he tries one last time to stop Lee and Carter by attempting to kill Genevieve with the intent of framing them for it. Lee and Carter are saved when their taxi driver friend named George, arrived to stop Reynard.
 * Reynard is based on Juntao from the first film. Both were friends of Han, who are later revealed to be the main villain in the later parts of the films.
 * Unlike Juntao, he does not reveal to Han that he is working for the Triads. Thomas Griffin revealed himself to Han as Juntao, the leader of the Triads.
 * Ever since the beginning of the film, he could have possibly worked for the Triads before he made his speech about the Triads.
 * It is unknown how he found out when Carter and Lee had fallen down from the Eiffel Tower. (There is the possibility, however that he simply expected what was going to happen and got to the tower in time.)
 * Along with Commissioner Revi, both of them are half French.
 * Commisioner Revi would be half Polish while Minister Reynard would be half Swedish.