Juntao

"No wait...Get the girl out of here. Make sure those two don't leave." - Thomas Griffin revealed as the ruthless, merciless Hong Kong crime lord, Juntao, responsible for the kidnapping of Soo-Yung.Thomas Griffin, most notably referred to by his criminal alias, Juntao, is the main antagonist in the 1998 action-comedy film, Rush Hour.
He was a British police commander of the former Royal Hong Kong Police, becoming a renowned, high status political figure in the process. In secret, however, he was the ruthless head and leader of the Juntao Criminal Organisations where he was responsible for the kidnapping of Consul Han’s daughter, Soo-Yung in order to use her as ransom.
He was portrayed by British actor, Tom Wilkinson.
== Story ==
=== Background ===
Thomas Griffin was born in 1947, presumably somewhere in the United Kingdom/Britain. In his early years, Griffin was highly fascinated by the Chinese people and their culture, completely in awe of their history and past.
In 1982, fifteen years prior to the events of Rush Hour, he becomes the police commander of the Royal Hong Kong Police, working closely with his fellow friend, Solon Han. The two maintain a friendly, close relationship. Griffin also rises in political power and status during this time.
In secret, however, Griffin was an infamous high profile crime lord of Hong Kong going by the alias, Juntao where he was sought after by both British and Chinese authorities. Despite their attempts to apprehend him, it failed and Griffin continued regular operations of illegal smuggling, organised crime, etc. It can be assumed that Griffin used his power as a police commander to cover up any investigations being conducted into him or his organisation. During this time as a Hong Kong crime lord, Griffin developed a highly ruthless and dangerous persona.
When Griffin was being investigated by Detective Inspector Lee and his unnamed partner, Griffin personally confronts them and during the confrontation Lee’s partner is killed by Griffin himself. Lee would forever remember this, desiring to bring Juntao and his entire operation to justice.
In 1997, Griffin sends his second in command, Sang to an unnamed dock of Hong Kong to catalogue and smuggle priceless pieces of Chinese artefacts out of the country.
=== Rush Hour ===
On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee successfully infiltrates Juntao’s smuggling operation on the dock. Soon, he locates Sang and demands to know where “Juntao'' is. Sang jokingly remarks that Juntao is “everywhere”. Sang soon escapes but Lee successfully foils Juntao’s entire smuggling operation, seizing all the stolen Chinese artefacts and bringing them safely into custody.
Later that night, Griffin, accompanied by Solon Han and other political figures, praises Han’s promotion to Consulate of China in the United States of America during a dinner party. When Han receives the news of Lee’s successful operation at the dock, everyone at the table, including Griffin, applaud. Afterwards, Griffin would disappear, planning to take revenge against Han for his foiled operation and lost artefacts.
Two months later, Griffin travels to the United States to initiate his plan of kidnapping Consul Han’s daughter, Soo-Yung Han to use as ransom to earn millions of dollars in compensation for all his lost artefacts. Griffin sends Sang and some henchmen to ambush Soo-Yung's transport and kidnap her. The kidnapping is successful, resulting in the FBI initiating an investigation into the kidnapping. Griffin, as of now, remains completely anonymous to everyone, silently pulling the strings behind the scenes.
In Los Angeles, Juntao gains notoriety with several low level Chinese gangs and criminal organisations, sparking rumours about his presence and his criminal organisation. Most people, however, do not know his true identity and only know about his recent doings and actions.
Sang, under Griffin’s orders, phones the FBI to organise a money drop in exchange for the release of Soo-Yung. Instead, the FBI locates the origin of call, immediately sending in a SWAT team to apprehend the perpetrator. It fails as it's revealed to be a trap when the agents in the room are all killed from an ensuing explosion. Lee locates Sang nearby and begins a pursuit on him. Lee fails to apprehend Sang as he escapes again in a getaway vehicle however Lee retrieves a detonator that was dropped by Sang during the chase.
Detective James Carter, accompanied by Lee, go an unnamed prison to meet with Clive Cobb, an explosives dealer that Carter had arrested earlier, to discuss the origin of the detonator and who it belonged to. Carter fails to retrieve any info however when Lee presses him, appealing to his better nature, Cobb eventually reveals that the perpetrator responsible is a Hong Kong crime lord named Juntao. Cobb further adds that he can be found at the Foo Chow Restaurant in Chinatown before returning back to his cell. Lee and Carter proceed to go down to the restaurant to rescue Soo-Yung and hopefully apprehend Juntao.
While this occurs, Sang, again under the orders of Griffin, phones the FBI to organise a legitimate money drop for the release of Soo-Yung. Han is ordered to deliver $50 million to the back alley of the Chinatown Foo-Chow restaurant. Griffin, located in the upstairs floor of the restaurant, monitors the situation, ensuring that everything goes according to plan however unbeknownst to him, Lee and Carter were on their way to find him.
When Lee and Carter enter the restaurant, they are both immediately seen on the security cameras by Sang and a few others. Griffin, also watching the feed orders some henchmen to transport Soo-Yung out of there while ordering the deaths of Lee and Carter downstairs. Carter is brought upstairs by some henchmen of Griffin where the former briefly notices Griffin on one of the camera feeds. Sang abruptly closes a shutter over the camera feeds, dismissing Carter's inquiries about the man on the screen. Griffin is not seen for the rest of the night, having presumably fled the scene while Lee and Carter are left to fend off against Juntao's men in the restaurant.
The next day, Griffin visits Han at his consulate, consoling him about the recent events. Griffin explains the origin of Juntao to FBI agents, Dan Whitney and Warren Russ while further encouraging Han to pay the ransom money, manipulating his friend to do his bidding, under his friendly and caring persona.
The following night, Griffin attends the Chinese expo at the Los Angeles Convention Centre where all the stolen artefacts are placed on display. When Han breaks down crying during his public speech, reminded of his daughter and her unknown fate, Griffin takes over and continues his speech for him. However, Carter interrupts the speech, yelling at all the attendees to hurriedly exit the building as there is a "bomb" in the building. During the ensuing chaos and confusion, Griffin silently and meticulously makes his way through the crowd towards Sang. Lee, closely observing him, witnesses an exchange between Sang and Griffin, leading to the conclusion that Griffin is Juntao. Lee calls him out, exposing him in front of everyone.
Realising that he's been exposed, Griffin finally reveals his true colours to everyone, including Han, that he is the ruthless Hong Kong crime lord, Juntao. Sang stands behind him with a machine gun, holding everyone else at gunpoint. Griffin reveals that six blocks of C4 explosives have been strapped to Soo-Yung and further adds about his passion towards the Chinese cultural artefacts around them. Griffin awaits for his transport to arrive, ordering everyone to remain still as Sang holds Lee at gunpoint. 
As Griffin waits for his escape helicopter to arrive, Carter, having hijacked a van earlier, rams through the building, startling everyone inside. He reveals himself, alongside a terrified Soo-Yung. Carter bluffs Griffin into pushing the button for the detonator and kill everyone inside however Griffin hesitates, silently staring at the pair. He soon commands Sang to "deal with it" before leaving as the authorities and Juntao's men engage in a shootout against each other. 
Making his way to the second floor, Griffin sneaks into the room with all the ransom money, finding Russ along with three other agents in the room. Griffin pulls out a gun and shoots the four men in the room. They are all drop to the floor, presumably dead. Unphased, Griffin takes one of the briefcases filled with cash and leaves. 
Griffin begins climbing a ladder, making his way to the roof. He radios into the pilot of his helicopter escape, ordering him to meet him on the roof. The pilot responds with a hasty "roger". Lee pursues after Griffin, screaming "Juntao" as he does so. Griffin hurries to the roof. 
Griffin makes his way to the top of the building, followed close behind by Lee wearing the bomb vest. Griffin attempts to stop Lee's progression by locking the hatch and shooting directly at him however fails both times. The two men engage in a scuffle where Lee ends up clinging onto the rails of the building. Griffin desperately and rapidly begins to hit Lee with the briefcase in an attempt to knock him off and falling to his death however it results in the briefcase suddenly opening, releasing all the money contained within flying to the ground floor. Griffin screams in anger, leaning forwards to grab as much of his money as he can however leans forwards too much and subsequently fall forwards onto the rafters of the building, joining Lee.
=== Death ===
Juntao grasps onto the straps of the bomb vest, attached to Lee, holding on for dear life while Lee tries to hold on, struggling to hold the two of them up. Carter watches on in horror from the ground floor. Juntao, realising there is no way of escape except down, begins to panic. Lee continues to hold on however the straps of the vest begin to rip. Juntao panics even further, realising the petrifying fate he's about to endure.
Juntao continues to hold on until eventually the straps give way, sending the vest and Juntao falling to his ultimate death into the water fountain below. Juntao screams in terror, flailing his arms and legs around until he eventually hits the water, killing him instantly upon impact. A huge gush of water surfaces with Juntao's grand landing which Carter jokingly responds with: "Whoo! You know he dead!".
Following Juntao's death, he can be seen laying motionless at the bottom of the fountain with the bomb vest still gripped in his hands. It's unknown whether or not his body was retrieved from the water after the incident.
=== Legacy ===
With Griffin's defeat and ultimate death, his entire criminal organisation becomes dissolved and defunct as all of the members were either killed during the shootout or arrested by the authorities. His entire ring of smuggling and organised crime is decimated and destroyed, never revived ever again.
Soo-Yung is safely rescued and returned to her father, creating a light-hearted reunion between them. Additionally, all the deaths that Griffin had been either directly or indirectly responsible for, including Lee's unnamed partner, have been avenged and all the terror that Griffin had caused has finally come to a satisfying and jovial end for the victims involved.
== Appearance ==
Griffin possesses a medium, slim build of a middle aged Caucasian male. He measures at an average height, possessing brown eyes and dark brown hair which has begun to start greying. His hair has been styled in a neat, raised manner. Because of his age, wrinkles appear on his face and body.
Throughout the events of Rush Hour, Griffin is primarily seen only in standard suits consisting of a button-up shirt, tie, coat/jacket, trousers and dress shoes. Griffin is seen in different styled and coloured suits throughout the film, seen primarily in dark colours. His suits are neatly brushed and well cared for. Additionally, he can be seen wearing a wristwatch on his left wrist.
When he is seen outside in the back alley of the Foo Chow Restaurant, he can be seen wearing a beige trench coat.
== Relationships ==
=== Allies ===
* Sang (Deceased) - Right-Hand Man/Second-In-Command
* Unnamed Helicopter Pilot (Unknown) - Henchman/Subordinate
=== Enemies ===
* Detective Inspector Lee (Alive) - Nemesis
* Detective James Carter (Alive)
* Consul Solon Han (Alive) - Former Ally
* Soo-Yung Han (Alive) - Kidnapped Victim
* Special Agent Warren Russ (Alive)
* Special Agent Dan Whitney (Alive)
* Detective Tania Johnson (Alive)
== Victims ==
Name of Victim 	Sex 	Career 	Cause of Death	Details 	Murder Weapon
Lee's Unnamed Partner 	Male	Hong Kong Police Detective/Inspector 	Unknown 	Lee's unnamed partner was killed by Griffin himself through an unknown cause during an investigation into Juntao.	Unknown
Three Unnamed FBI Agents	Male	Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation	Gunshot Wounds	Three unnamed FBI agents were all caught off guard and shot once each by Griffin. 	Pistol
== Quotes ==
=== Rush Hour ===
- "Forgive me, Consul Han but I believe we can ill afford to lose men of your high character. And speaking, as a friend, who has fought side by side with you for fifteen years, I'll sorely miss the unshakeable support you've given the Royal Hong Kong Police. And so, on behalf of all Brits to have ever carried the shield in Hong Kong, we shall miss you and we wish you nothing but happiness as you take up your new post in the United States. Ladies and gentlemen: Consul Han." - Thomas Griffin's first words in Rush Hour, congratulating his close friend, Consul Han for his success.
- "Hong Kong forever." - Griffin toasting Han, pledging his alliance to Hong Kong forever.
- "I'm sorry, my friend. I couldn't stand by and do nothing." - Griffin visiting a distressed Han at his consulate.
- "For fifteen years until China resumed control of Hong Kong, Juntao was the most powerful crime lord in South-East Asia. The British tried to close down his operation but we failed...Then Juntao disappeared. No witnesses. My advice to you is...pay the money." - Griffin explaining the origin of Juntao while also advising Han to pay the ransom money.
- "Consul Han. Six blocks of C4 are wired to your daughter in a car outside. You know, before the changeover, most of this exhibition was in the hands of a single private collector: me. I worked most of my life to acquire and catalogue these priceless pieces that you see before you. Then in one fell swoop, it was taken away from me...But tonight, I shall be paid in full. Don't move! She dies if I press this button. Just be patient, my transportation will be here shortly...Stay calm." - Griffin revealing himself as the notorious Hong Kong crime lord, Juntao in front of everyone at the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
- "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we'll call that an evening. Thank you and goodnight." - Griffin arrogantly prepared to leave the scene on his escape helicopter with his ransom money.
- "Deal with it, please." - Griffin ordering Sang to deal with Carter and Soo-Yung before fleeing the scene.
- "Meet me on the roof." - Juntao's last words before he falls to his death into the water fountain.
=== Quotes About Juntao ===
- "[Lee] Where is Juntao? [Sang] Juntao? He is everywhere." - Lee questioning where Juntao is while Sang jokingly remarks that Juntao is "everywhere".
- "...There's this dude who's buying up all kinds of firearms, explosives and people like he's gonna start some kind of war or some shit. [Carter] What's his name? [Stucky] I don't know his name." - Carter and Stucky discussing about a mysterious, unnamed Hong Kong crime lord situated in Los Angeles.
- "The word down in Chinatown is there's this new dude in town. Badass dude outta Hong Kong. Buying up every goddamn thing. [Carter] What's his name? [Luke] Shit, I don't know his name. He ain't buying shit from me. [Carter] You don't know his name?! Goddamn, don't nobody know his name." - Carter and his cousin Luke discussing about Juntao and his recent activities.
- "The guy's name is Juntao. I never seen him. [Lee] Where can I find him? [Clive Cobb] Foo Chow Restaurant, Chinatown." - Clive Cobb revealing to Lee who the unnamed crime lord in Los Angeles truly is. 
- "[Carter] How we going to go about getting this guy Juntao? How do we know he even exists? Ain't nobody ever seen him before. [Lee] I know. He killed my partner." - Carter and Lee discussing if Juntao really exists where Lee reveals that his partner was directly killed by Juntao himself.
- "Whooo! You know he dead!" - Carter's response to Griffin's long fall into the water fountain.
== Gallery ==
File:Griffin Toasting Consul Han.png|Thomas Griffin's debut in Rush Hour, attending a dinner party alongside various political figures.
File:Thomas Griffin's First Appearance.png|"Hong Kong forever."
File:Griffin Revealed As Juntao.png|Thomas Griffin revealed as the ruthless, merciless Hong Kong crime lord, Juntao.
File:Griffin Visiting The Consulate.png|Griffin visiting Consul Han at his consulate.
File:Thomas Griffin in Rush Hour.png|Griffin discussing the origins of Juntao to Han and FBI Agents: Dan Whitney & Warren Russ.
File:"My advice to you is pay the money,".png|"My advice to you is...pay the money."
File:Griffin at The Los Angeles Convention Centre.png|Griffin at the Chinese Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
File:Griffin Exposed As Juntao .png|Griffin exposed as Juntao by Lee.
File:Griffin Revealing His Darker Side.png|Griffin revealing his true intentions and motives while Sang holds them at gunpoint.
File:Griffin Pressured Into Pushing The Button.png|Griffin pressured into detonating the bomb vest and killing everyone inside as he stares, saying nothing.
File:Griffin Murders The FBI Agents.png|Griffin surprising the FBI agents in the room, opening fire on them.
File:"Meet me on the roof,".png|Griffin ordering the pilot to meet him on the roof with the helicopter; also his last words spoken before his death.
File:Griffin Hitting Lee With The Briefcase.png|Griffin repeatedly hitting Lee with the briefcase before his demise.
File:Griffin Suspended High In The Air.png|Griffin gripping onto the straps of the bomb vest, suspended high up in the air.
File:Juntao's Final Moments.png|Juntao's Final Moments
File:Juntao's Death.png|Juntao's Death
File:Juntao Falling to His Death.png|Juntao falling a long way down to his death.
File:Juntao Dead In The Water Fountain.png|Juntao seen lying motionless at the bottom of the water fountain.
== Trivia ==
* Juntao is the only Caucasian antagonist in the entire Rush Hour series.
* Juntao, alongside Ricky Tan, are the only two main antagonists of the Rush Hour series that scream in horror as they fall to their demise.
* In the original screenplay for Rush Hour, instead of being killed from his long fall, he instead miraculously survives the long fall into the water fountain and remains alive for just a few seconds longer for the bomb vest to explode and finally kill him. Because of the nature of the death, it easy to presume why it was replaced with the final version that we witness in the film.
* While the audience discovers Griffin's true identity in the mid-way point of the film, his identity is not finally revealed to the characters until the final confrontation in the finale of the film.
* Griffin is never seen speaking Mandarin onscreen throughout the film however can presumably speak and understand it.
* Griffin's first name, Thomas, is the actor's first name in real life.
* Despite being the main antagonist of the film, he barely has any screentime in the film as Sang acts as the main antagonist in the first half of the film while Griffin finally appears for the second half of the film.
Category:Fictional Characters
Category:Main Antagonist
Category:Male
Category:Deceased
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