Skiptrace is the result of a collaboration effort between Chinese talent and American filmmakers. The movie is directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) and written by Jay Longino (Bachelor Party 2) and BenDavid Grabinski (Cost of Living).
Jackie Chan returns to play the kind of role that made him famous in America. The movie's format is also reminiscent of Rush Hour. A series that Jackie was famous for in America following Rumble in the Bronx. Johnny Knoxville is seen here as the goofball reminiscent of Chris Tucker's role as Carter in Rush Hour. The film also stars famous mainland Chinese actress Fan Bingbing who plays as the adopted daughter of Jackie Chan's character.
On paper, Skiptrace sounds like a great movie. I love Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing and I also love the Rush Hour movies. What can go wrong? In reality the movie ends up disappointing. Jackie Chan turns in a decent performance but typical of his earlier action movies. Johnny Knoxville's acting was sub-par but I did buy the whole scumbag gambler routine. Fan Bingbing was far and away the best performer (in terms of acting) in the movie but she was relegated to a damsel in distress role.
What I enjoyed most in the movie is seeing China's beautiful countryside as well as a brief look into Mongolia and it's people. The film overall is very run of the mill buddy cop flick. I didn't feel connected to Benny Chan's tragedy, which is central to his motivation for going after the crime boss Matador. I warmed up to the characters midway through the movie when it was more humorous. The plot twist was predictable and the ending gave me a bitter taste in my mouth.
Jackie Chan returns to play the kind of role that made him famous in America. The movie's format is also reminiscent of Rush Hour. A series that Jackie was famous for in America following Rumble in the Bronx. Johnny Knoxville is seen here as the goofball reminiscent of Chris Tucker's role as Carter in Rush Hour. The film also stars famous mainland Chinese actress Fan Bingbing who plays as the adopted daughter of Jackie Chan's character.
On paper, Skiptrace sounds like a great movie. I love Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing and I also love the Rush Hour movies. What can go wrong? In reality the movie ends up disappointing. Jackie Chan turns in a decent performance but typical of his earlier action movies. Johnny Knoxville's acting was sub-par but I did buy the whole scumbag gambler routine. Fan Bingbing was far and away the best performer (in terms of acting) in the movie but she was relegated to a damsel in distress role.
What I enjoyed most in the movie is seeing China's beautiful countryside as well as a brief look into Mongolia and it's people. The film overall is very run of the mill buddy cop flick. I didn't feel connected to Benny Chan's tragedy, which is central to his motivation for going after the crime boss Matador. I warmed up to the characters midway through the movie when it was more humorous. The plot twist was predictable and the ending gave me a bitter taste in my mouth.