Jackie Chan gets a new action-comedy partner in Johnny Knoxville for the silly but brilliant adventure “Skiptrace.”
A high point in Jackie Chan's U.S. film fame was “Shanghai Noon,” an endearing buddy action comedy that relied on the strange chemistry between its no-nonsense Chinese émigré hero and Owen Wilson's laconic, affably raunchy Wild West outlaw. This pairing was successful enough to spawn a sequel (“Shanghai Knights” in 2003) and now a loose reworking of sorts in “Skiptrace.” But 16 years after “Noon,” the 62-year-old star’s boyish frenzy has finally given way to an understandable hint of weariness; It's up to new co-star Johnny Knoxville to handle most of the tricks and provide the main comedy.
But then there's energy, if not a lot of gray matter, to spare in this amiable buddy action comedy, in which Chan's no-nonsense Hong Kong cop becomes kidnapper and then comrade of Knoxville's brilliantly slippery Yankee con man. Directed by Renny Harlin, this HK-USA-China co-production is a perpetual motion machine of formulaic ideas that, James Bond-style, relies on showcasing one exotic international location after another, albeit in the service of adventure there's a lot more slapstick than martinis. Brilliant, colorful and memorable, Skiptrace is the kind of film that will give you all the entertainment it deserves, even if you're rolling your eyes at the umpteenth crotch-reaching gag. The whopping $62 million the film reportedly grossed at its China premiere last weekend is unlikely to be matched elsewhere, but nonetheless the film is likely to succeed around the globe as Chan's biggest live-action vehicle in some time have. It launches in the US on September 2nd (several weeks after the DirecTV launch on July 28th), with other territories to follow through early 2017.
Things get off to an inauspicious start with the “I must avenge my partner” routine when Bennie Chan (Chan) fails to rescue his police colleague Yung (Eric Tsang) from an obvious trap set by the elusive crime boss Matador. When Yung nobly plunges himself into what appears to be a watery grave, he makes Bennie promise to take care of his motherless daughter. Nine years later, Bennie is still obsessively trying to uncover the true identity of the matador, who he believes is business tycoon Victor Wong (Winston Chao). But this leads him and his younger colleagues (Shi Shi, Kuo Pin Chao) into a botched drug raid on the quay, which causes maximum property damage but uncovers no solid evidence.
Meanwhile, Yung's now grown daughter Samantha (Bingbing Fan) works half-undercover in a luxury gambling palace in Macau and also hopes to find a connection between its owner Wong and her father's death. She ends up getting caught up in the turmoil that ensues when rhinestone-wearing, cowboy-style Yank Connor Watts (Knoxville) witnesses a local murder while fleeing Russian gangsters after emptying the casino's coffers. This results in Connor being kidnapped to Siberia, Samantha being kidnapped, and Bennie being forced to pursue Connor in order to save Samantha and solve the Matador mystery once and for all.
Most of Skiptrace is a street comedy, with Chan dragging the frequently handcuffed but endlessly tricky Knoxville back south toward Hong Kong. Along the way, they cross eastern Russia, the Mongolian steppes, the Gobi Desert and much more, by train, car, horseback, on foot and on an inflatable pigskin raft – and everywhere they come across a cultural festival or other spectacle. As gratuitous as this travelogue is undeniably entertaining, it is complemented by the busy randomness of incidents along the way, ranging from countless stunt-driven action set pieces to a nomadic yurt village population that spontaneously engages in Adele's “Rolling in the Deep.” This Screenplay by Jay Longino and BenDavid Grabinski includes references to everything from previous Chan vehicles to “Titanic” and (inevitably) “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
Chan's devotion to the tastes of mass audiences has led to more than a few generic, commissioned exercises, particularly those aimed primarily at Western audiences. “Skiptrace,” long in the making and previously slated to be directed by Sam Fell (“ParaNorman”), with Seann William Scott in the role Knoxville inherited, initially has the uninspired feeling of trying to a lot of boxes to check off with too many worn out genre tropes.
But what seems tense at first becomes somewhat breezy and likeable after a while, as the two stars find their comedic chemistry (not unlike that between Chan and Chris Tucker in his other big Hollywood hits, the “Rush Hour” films). Some good throwaway gags appear, and the loud, big set pieces are given a silly charm by their sheer bulk, à la “Fantasia's” hippopotamus in a tutu. There are some amusingly outlandish supporting villains, like WWE diva Eve Torres as an Amazonian Russian thug. And if Chan's own jokey wit is a little weaker these days – it's a wonder he doesn't live in a permanent full-body cast after more than 50 years of martial mayhem on screen – Knoxville picks up the slack with impressive zeal. Its “Jackass” roots are clearly evident in a gameplay session that also features the routine indignities of being stuffed into an out-of-control rolling trash can and having to open a factory door with your mouth.
A few high-profile flops have made Harlin a glib “worst director in the world” punchline alongside Uwe Boll and Michael Bay. Although he has no shortage of disposable films, he probably never made a boring film. “Skiptrace” remains lively, entertaining and basically good-natured even when it's gleefully stupid, exploiting its various locations for every last bit of local color. Stunt and FX work isn't always entirely convincing, but any bit of action that's a little shaky as a result (like the early domino collapse of harborside houses or an all-too-obviously green journey across a gorge with a suspension cable) gets the job done The film's rapid forward momentum is quickly forgotten.
The general silliness is underlined by some broadly funny soundtrack choices, typical of a package that's inventive and professionally sprightly, if not always classy. In addition to the usual goof clips, the end credits include a dedication to Chan Kwok-hung, a cameraman and long-time Chan collaborator who died in a drowning accident during the film's production.
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