In the late 1990s and early 1990s, Jackie Chan, already a star in his native Hong Kong, enjoyed crossover success in the United States with a series of comedies that paired him with a fast-talking American – a formula that worked deftly in the The slogan was reflected in his first breakthrough, Rush Hour: “The fastest hands in the East meet the biggest mouth in the West.” Renny Harlin's “Skiptrace” takes up the old recipe and lets Chan, who plays a no-nonsense Hong Kong detective named Bennie Chan, counteract it Johnny Knoxville as clever American player Connor Watts. Bennie tries to take down the drug lord who murdered his partner when he discovers that Connor may have the evidence he needs to take down his target for good. Bennie tracks down Connor in Siberia, after which the plot shifts into Midnight Run mode, with Bennie reluctantly escorting Connor back to Hong Kong as an uneasy alliance forms.
In its better moments, Skiptrace brings to mind a picture of Hope-Crosby Road, in which Chan and Knoxville move through a cartoon version of Asia using increasingly absurd forms of transportation (train, tricycle truck, horse, inflated sheepskin raft, zip line). with stops at a Mongolian wrestling match and Chinese mud festivals. This comic travelogue of Asia is full of picturesque locations, from the stilt houses of Tai O to vast rice terraces, but the overall tone is one of labored weirdness. While the Hope Crosby films relied on the easy relationship between their two stars, Skiptrace's bloated action-comedy machinery prevents any real chemistry from developing between Chan and Knoxville.
At 62, Chan still performs his own stunts, and while they've inevitably been toned down from his heyday crawling around on hot coals and dangling from helicopters, he still manages to retain his tongue-in-cheek charisma and comic energy to preserve. He's such a captivating performer that his mere presence even manages to enliven Knoxville's usual despicable demeanor. But between the constant gags, over-the-top set pieces, and the manic score (which parodies everything from spaghetti westerns to Russian folk dances), there's little room for Chan or Knoxville to give the film a unique comedic identity. And so “Skiptrace” ultimately just feels superficial, the outlines of a reasonably entertaining action comedy waiting to be filled out.
There are funny moments, including a brilliant gag in which Chan fights off WWE star Eve Torres with a large Russian nesting doll; As Torres penetrates each layer, Chan's defenses become smaller and smaller until he finally has the last tiny doll in his hand, which he immediately throws at Torres and scurries away. It's the kind of silly but expertly choreographed performance that reminds us of Chan's unmatched comic invention, which is sadly missing from the rest of the film.
Score:
Pour: Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Fan Bingbing, Eve Torres Director: Renny Harlin Screenwriter: Jay Longino, Ben David Grabinski Distributor: Saban films Duration: 107 mins Evaluation: PG-13 Year: 2016 Buy: Video If you can, please consider supporting Slant Magazine.
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