Wizard-8 Years ago I was a hardcore Jackie Chan fan, seeing all of his movies that I could. But due to various circumstances, I hadn't seen any of his newer movies for the past few years. I also found director Renny Harlin's films in the past enjoyable, though I hadn't seen any of his newer movies for the past few years. So when I came across "Skiptrace" on Netflix - which teams both Chan and Harlin together - I was curious enough to give it a look.It's pretty obvious that the U.S. and Chinese producers were trying to make a movie that would be picked up by a major American distributor and given a wide release stateside, but that didn't happen. And it's pretty easy to see why. The first mistake was hiring Harlin. While Harlin has made some pretty good action movies over the years, this particular style of action movie - kung fu comedy - seems beyond his abilities. To be fair, Jackie Chan is no longer as quick and nimble as he was years ago, so Harlin was burdened with that problem. But even when Chan is giving it his all, Harlin really botches the action. It's choppy, confusing, and not very exciting at all.Chan still has some charm and a flair for comedy, but he often looks really tired and haggard. And he doesn't manage to generate much chemistry with his co-star Johnny Knoxville. Now, Knoxville is more palatable than Chris Tucker - he does manage to deliver a few one-liners in a way that made me smile a little - but for the most part he is brash and obnoxious, and not sympathetic at all.I feel I should also mention that the script is pretty awful at times. It is not only pretty predictable, it has some confusing touches, like how Chan's character manages to zero in exactly on Knoxville's character for the first time.From this movie, it seems that Americans and the Chinese still have to figure out a way to make their different filmmaking styles work well together in co-productions. Until then, I plan for the next Jackie Chan movie that I'll see will be one that's by Chinese filmmakers only. That's what worked for Chan in the past.

Uriah43 After watching his partner being killed a Hong Kong detective named "Bennie Chan" (Jackie Chan) vows to take care of the detective's daughter, "Samantha Bai" (Bingbing Fan) while at the same time pursuing the drug lord who killed him. This pursuit leads him to a con-man by the name of "Connor Watts" (Johnny Knoxville) who is wanted by both the Russian mafia and the same Chinese drug kingpin responsible for the death of Inspector Chan's partner. Unfortunately, Connor has no intention of testifying against anyone and desires above everything else to escape detection and apprehension by all of the parties involved. To make matters worse, the Russians have sent their best assassin named "Dasha" (Eve Torres) to bring back Connor which creates even more problems for the two of them. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I didn't think this was one of better Jackie Chan movies. For starters, I didn't particularly care for the casting of Eve Torres as a Russian gangster. It was just too odd. Likewise, the partnership between Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville seemed equally artificial and ingenuine. That being said, I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.

SnoopyStyle Hong Kong police detective Bennie Chan (Jackie Chan) loses his partner Yung in a deadly bombing. He suspects that businessman Victor Wong is criminal Matador responsible for the death. He's been investigating for 9 years to no avail. World-traveling thief Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville) is on the run from the Russian mob after sleeping with the daughter of the boss. In Macau, he gets involved with Yung's daughter Samantha who is infiltrating a casino connected to Victor Wong. He steals her card to access a private floor where he witnesses Esther Yee's murder. He escapes by getting taken by the Russians. The casino accuses him of stealing money and Samantha asks Bennie to track him down.This is classic Jackie Chan. The action is still there and so is his sense of humor. His fights still have that pep and his fights with Eve Torres are actually funny. It's nothing new except this time's guilo is Knoxville. I expected better chemistry but the two deliver enough comedy. The story doesn't really work and the movie tries very hard to make it into a muddle. The guys end up in the Mongolian desert for no particularly good reason other than it's exotic cool. It's great to see Jackie staying in fighting shape but it's not much better than that.

Gordon-11 This film tells the story of a Hong Kong policeman who has to catch an American con man, chasing him from Macau to Russia. Along the way, they encounter trouble with Russian gangs and Mongolian tribes. They have to do everything to survive."Skiptrace" is in English but it is clear that it is aimed at the Chinese market. The film itself is adequately entertaining, with a lot of action scenes done in a funny way that makes you chuckle. However, it just looks like every other recent Jackie Chan film, even the action sequences are beginning to feel strangely familiar. It is an adequate choice to kill an evening, but don't expect too much because Hollywood action films have moved on but this hasn't.