Rachit Gupta, Aug 31, 2016 4:13 PM IST
2.0/5
Rating: 2 stars
Short version: Sinks without a trace
If you've never heard of Skiptrace, it's a buddy action film starring Jackie Chan. Hollywood's obnoxious comedy and gag expert Johnny Knoxville takes on the role of sidekick. Jackie Chan is an expert at these types of films; He had the Rush Hour series with Chris Tucker and the Shanghai Knights series with Owen Wilson. Even though both actors are in their comfort zone, that doesn't mean the film is any good. Skiptrace suffers from amateurish execution, lackluster writing, and the weight of its sociopolitical ambitions.
This film was made with two main goals in mind. One is to present China as an exotic, tourist-friendly place. The second is to be commercially viable on an international level and to target all markets around the world. So they have exotic Chinese locations, even Mongolia and the Gobi Desert on offer. As well as the universal appeal of an American cowboy/con artist in the midst of a multi-country adventure. Unfortunately, such a formula worked wonders for the Rush Hour films, while Skiptrace's terribly dull writing keeps the cinematic quality on par with TV and/or DVD. Jackie Chan plays a Hong Kong police officer on the trail of a feared Chinese crime boss named Matador. Johnny Knoxville plays an American con man who steals money from the Chinese Mafia's casino and manages to impregnate a Russian don's daughter. The word skiptrace means to trace a person's whereabouts for a paid job. A kind of mix between bounty hunter and private detective. So Jackie Chan becomes a skip trace expert and John Knoxville becomes a guy who is being hunted by the Russians and Chinese.
Their journey begins in Russia, where they travel overland from the Siberian Plain through Europe and Asia to China. The two boys constantly bicker and argue, but their exotic journey helps them band together and fight off the villains. If they had limited themselves to the action comedy part, Skiptrace would have been a decent film. But the film also has to make way for its big Chinese tourism sale. So you get random shots of the Chinese landscape as well as the Mongolian gypsy culture, which just spoils the fun of the film. It doesn't help when a Mongol tribe that looks like Genghis Khan's ancestors randomly breaks into an Adele song. The absurd humor and the kick-in-the-legs gags ruin the film. Not to mention the twist at the end is worse than any recent M Night Shaymalan film.
Jackie Chan is still doing his stunts, so the action looks smooth and fabulous. Johnny Knoxville is a heady mix of irritating and charming at the same time. But the main actors never quite get beyond the hackneyed script. Winston Chao, who was last seen as a villain in Rajnikanth's Kabali, is also the main antagonist here, in what will likely be a first for Indian viewers. But aside from the cast, Skiptrace has little to offer to recommend, enjoy or even remember. This Chinese-American goulash with a pinch of Mongolian and Russian elements is simply amazing.
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