On Oct. 25, Lionsgate released a new action-packed adventure on Blu-ray and DVD starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville. Skiptrace has the charm of most Chan films with plenty of humor and martial arts to carry it along through its familiar plot.
Chan plays a Hong Kong detective working to avenge his partner, who was killed by a ruthless drug lord. Knoxville is an American gambler who has the evidence the detective needs to put the criminals down for good. Weaving in and out of trouble with various parties, the two men work together to save each other’s lives and take down the biggest criminal in the detective’s career.
While the plot of this movie is pretty predictable, it’s still entertaining. The film is full of laughs and action sequences, as is tradition for the majority of Chan’s flicks. As usual, he plays a Chinese cop with a wisecracking partner. Knoxville does better in this role than I expected him to. The two men fight each other as well as their own personal nemeses to save a woman they both love, leading to a foreseeable and humorous ending.
All in all, this film falls between 3 and 3.5 stars for me. It was fun with several laugh-out-loud scenes but follows the unoriginal path of most Chan films. If you’re looking for something amusing that doesn’t make you think too hard, this movie is the perfect fit. It’s great for fans of Chan or Knoxville or anyone who likes a comic adventure.