| |
| Solon Han | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | Chinese Ambassador |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Relatives | Soo-Yung Han (daughter) |
| Affiliates | Lee Thomas Griffin (former) James Carter |
| Occupation | Chinese Consul of Diplomatic Area of Hong Kong (in Rush Hour) Chinese Ambassador (in Rush Hour 3) |
| Status | Alive |
| Appearances | Rush Hour (1998) Rush Hour 3 (2007) |
| Portrayed by | Tzi Ma |
Solon Han is a major character in the Rush Hour franchise. He the Chinese consul in Rush Hour and later Ambassador in Rush Hour 3. He has a daughter named Soo-Yung. He was portrayed in both movies by Tzi Ma.
History[]
Background[]
Consul Han was the Chinese consul in the Diplomatic area of Hong Kong. He was also friends with Hong Kong Police Force Detective Inspector Lee and was an ally to the police. During the British rule of Hong Kong, Han also became friends with Police Commander Thomas Griffin, but he was unaware that Griffin was also a mysterious crime lord named Juntao whom he and Lee had been investigating.
Rush Hour[]
After Lee had stopped Juntao from smuggling priceless pieces of artifacts out of the country, Han was hosting a dinner party to celebrate his departure to the United States on the last day of British ruler ship. When Lee came in and told Han about how he had stopped Juntao, Han announces that Lee defeated Juntao's criminal organization and reclaimed artifacts from five thousand years of Chinese history, to the applause of the party guests. After Lee leaves, Han rejoices that this is the kind of legacy he dreamed about. Griffin then toasts to Hong Kong.
Two months later, Consul Han had finally set up his new diplomatic post in Los Angeles. As he was walking his daughter Soo-Yung to the car so she can be on her way to school, a consulate worker informed him that there was a phone call for him from China. Before Soo-Yung left, she asked her father if he will be home after school. He says no and that he will be picking her up himself, and she smiles. He turns her around with a finger-like move called the lago and she leaves after saying goodbye to him. Han goes back inside to answer the phone call, but no one was on the other line.
Han appeared again with his assistant at the Los Angeles Convention Center where he is preparing to host a Chinese art exposition. Han was then approached by two FBI agents named Warren Russ and Dan Whitney, claiming that they need to speak with him in private. Han went with them, where he learned that his daughter had been abducted while she was on her way to school. Han returned to his office at the consulate where Russ assures him that they would get his daughter back. Han tells Russ that he would like one of his people to help, but Russ assures him that the FBI considers it a top priority and have plenty of people on the case. Han, unwilling to trust the FBI agents so easily, reveals that he has called Lee to assist in the case partly because he and his family are not U.S. citizens.
The FBI are able to throw Lee off (albeit temporarily) by teaming him with brash L.A.P.D. Detective James Carter. Lee is unable to get Carter to take him to the consulate. He manages to get away from Carter (While he is inside of a convenient store) and makes his way to the Chinese consulate, where the FBI, along with an anxious Han are awaiting news about his daughter. When two FBI agents who are guarding the front gate think that Lee is an intruder, he subdues them, causing the remaining agents to surround the house, with Whitney ordering Han to hide on the second floor. Lee comes in through the window and subdues the agents until Han gets up and sees that Lee was the supposed intruder. Russ and his agents hear the noise and draw at the door with their guns ready. Han opens it and assures Russ that there has been a misunderstanding. Han then introduces Russ to Lee, who immediately apologizes and gives Whitney back his gun.
Han is later introduced to Detective Carter who Lee explains is very passionate about finding his daughter. Han then shakes Carter's hand saying that he has his gratitude. Sang, Juntao's right-hand man, calls the consulate as Carter accidentally picks up the phone while trying to call his captain. Carter suddenly takes up Sang's ransom demand of $50 million and poorly arranges a drop.
Han would later follow Sang's ransom demand and with the FBI's help they make the drop stuffing the money into suitcases. Han later receives a call from Sang telling him to take the money to the alley behind the Foo Chow restaurant in Chinatown reminding him that he has twenty nine minutes left. The FBI follow through with this but after Lee rescues Carter from the restaurant they are met outside by the FBI led by Russ who blames them for ruining the ransom exchange.
Sang later phoned the consul, angrily telling him that the ransom has been increased from $50 million to $70 million, and threatened to kill Soo-Yung if anything else goes wrong. Disgraced and guilt-ridden, Lee and Carter are ordered off the investigation and Han informs Lee that he will be sent back to Hong Kong, Lee sadly reveals to him that Juntao was behind Soo-Yung's kidnapping. Carter enters the room and apologizes for everything claiming that it was all his fault. Han tells him its a little too late for apologies. Finally realizing Soo-Yung safety is more important that his career a desperate Carter however refuses to drop the case and confronts Lee on his plane to enlist his help, and the two men decide to save Soo-Yung together, doing it for Han.
Griffin later visits Han at his consulate home embracing him in a hug and apologizing for leaving him an emotional wreck. Sang phones Han again telling him to go prepare for his Chinese exposition has he planned and to have the money in the upstairs control room. Han understands but he wants to speak with his daughter only to have Sang hang up on him.
Griffin and Han then explained to Russ and Whitney about the HKPF's history with Juntao. Griffin explains for fifteen years until China was in control of Hong Kong, Juntao was the most powerful crime lord in South East Asia. The British tried to close down his operation but they had failed. Russ asks why Juntao would kidnapped Soo-Yung and Han explained about how he and Lee had foiled every aspect of Juntao's criminal operation confiscating millions in weapons and cash and a collection of Chinese arts that was surpassed to the world. Griffin then said that Juntao disappeared with no witnesses. When Whitney asked if he really thinks he'll kill the girl. Griffin suggests to Han that he should "pay the money".
At the Los Angeles Convention Center which Han and Griffin are overseeing and where the ransom is being delivered in the upstairs control room, Sang suddenly appears at the event dressed as a waiter and he and Griffin exchange looks. While Consul Han is making a speech to present the art work for five thousand years of china's history. He stops when says that we can passed them on to our children feeling distraught over the disappearance of his own daughter. Griffin decides to take over from where Han left off. Carter suddenly recognizes Griffin as the man he saw on the security monitor at the Chinese restaurant from Chinatown and creates a scene where he warns the spectators about a threat of a bomb in the building and tells them to evacuate. In the confusion, Lee sees Sang handing Griffin a detonator identical to the one he and Carter had previously recovered, deducing that Griffin and Juntao are one and the same.
Han immediately becomes horrified when learns his friend turns out to have been Juntao the whole time. Lee goes to confront him but Juntao then threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung if the delivery is interrupted. He also reveals that the priceless pieces that are apart of the exhibition were once part of his collection and he intends to get them back. During the stand-off, however, Carter manages to sneak out and locate Soo Yung. Carter proceeds to take the vest off her, but Soo Yung tells him that she heard them say that the vest will go off if anyone tries to take it off incorrectly. Carter then drives the van into the building and brings the bomb vest within range to kill Griffin and his men inside the exhibition. Han attempts to embrace his daughter but Agent Whitney holds him back. Carter challenges Griffin to push the detonator but Griffin hesitates to do so. As Carter demands that he push the button Griffin orders Sang to deal with Carter. Sang shoots at Carter causing a gunfight to break out between the FBI and Juntao's thugs. Whitney protects the Consul by forcing him to hide next him in the middle of the firefight.
During the gunfight, Lee and Johnson climb into the back of the van and Johnson manages to defused the bomb and rescue Soo-Yung, but tells Lee that the vest still can be set off with the remote. Lee then takes the vest and pursues Griffin. Meanwhile, Griffin goes up to the upstairs control room and shoots the agents up there, including Russ. He then takes the briefcase with the money and leaves. Lee and Carter are able to stop Griffin and Sang from escaping simultaneously. Carter shoots Sang dead in a stand off after Sang was distracted by a wounded Russ and Lee kills Griffin by causing him to fall to his death in a water fountain. He is rescued by Carter shortly afterwards.
After Soo-Yung was finally rescued she is reunited safely with her father. Then, after she punches Lee and asks "What took you so long?", he smiles and gives back her necklace. She smiles as well, and then thanks him in Cantonese. As a reward for saving his daughter Han sends Lee and Carter on vacation together in Hong Kong. This leads to the events of Rush Hour 2.
Rush Hour 3[]
Ten years later Han has now been promoted to Chinese Ambassador at his consulate and he and Lee were now working on a new case which was to investigate a Chinese triad organization called Shy Shen. They decide to discuss the meeting at the World Criminal Court in downtown Los Angeles with help from Han's friend, Chairman of the world criminal court and french ambassador Varden Reynard.
Lee was later hired as the bodyguard for Han and together they rode a limo to the world criminal court. While Han is making his speech about the importance of fighting the triads he announces that he may have finally located Shy-Shen. When he is asked what Shy Shen is. The Ambassador was about to answer when someone dressed in black from the top of a building behind the court aim's his sniper rifle at Lee but instead he aims at Han and shoots him in the shoulder. It is later revealed that the person behind the assassination attempt on Han was Lee's former Japanese foster brother, Kenji. At the hospital Carter's boss Captain Diel informed Lee and Carter that Han survived his bullet wound while out of surgery and that he will recover. Soo-Yung would later arrive at the hospital to see her father and makes Lee and Carter promise to capture Kenji for her. When Kenji sends members of The Triad to storm the hospital in an attempt to assassinate Ambassador Han, Soo-Yung, Lee and Carter defeat them. After the hospital raid, Lee and Carter decide that Soo-Yung needed to be safe so she was moved to live with, Reynard and his family at the French Embassy. It is later revealed that Reynard worked for the triads all along. When Soo-Yung was kidnapped by Kenji and is taken to Paris France, she is armed tied with a rope connected to a rotating crank outside the Eiffel Tower. While Lee and Kenji were sword fighting, Carter single handedly defeated the rest of Kenji's triad henchman. He then goes to rescue Soo-Yung. One final triad master, the dragon lady Jasmine appears out of the restaurant and tries to kill Soo-Yung.
She pulls the rope and Soo-Yung starts to fall from the Eiffel Tower. Carter leaps from the Tower and catches the rope, pulling Soo-Yung back up, where she then kicks Jasmine in the rotating crank, causing her to be crushed in half, off screen. After Lee defeats Kenji he walks back up to the main deck of the Eiffel Tower to join Soo-Yung and Carter. Lee embraces her as she tells him that she's okay. When more Triads arrive, Lee sends Soo-Yung down the elevator and tells her to call the police.
In an Alternate ending on the DVD, Han sends Lee and Carter a plane at the airfield in Paris as a way of thanking them for once again rescuing Soo-Yung. Lee mentions to Carter that Han left the hospital with Soo-Yung the previous night.
Trivia[]
- Consul Han, Soo-Yung Han, and Captain William Diel are the only returning characters from the first film to appear in Rush Hour 3.
- It is unknown that his wife passed away or he is divorced. It is never explain on what happened to his daughter’s mother.
- Han along with Thomas Griffin were Lee's superiors on the Hong Kong Police Force until Han moved to the states to take up his new diplomatic post. Captain Chin became Lee's new superior as first introduced in Rush Hour 2.
- Han and Lee were presumably close freinds for a long time. Lee even bonded with Soo-Yung as he was her kung-fu instructor.
- Han had two diplomatic friends who would later become villains, Griffin was Juntao the Chinese crime lord who Han and Lee had been investigating and French Ambassador Varden Reynard was revealed to have worked for Kenji's organization.
- Han is close with his daughter Soo-Yung as he loves her very much. He turns her around with a finger like moved called the lago. This was a pinky promise to his daughter that he would always be there for her.
- In the scene where Griffin was explaining about Juntao, Han was unaware that Juntao was actually the same person standing in front of him.