Despite starring both Johnny Knoxville and Jackie Chan, both recognizable and well-liked names, Renny Harlin's Skiptrace is a film that was given a completely throwaway release in the United States. Looking online, I can't find any record of an American theatrical release. Overseas, the movie has done solid business, and it's not hard to see why: Skiptrace is an absolute blast. Similar to the buddy pictures Chan would make in the late 1990s and early 2000s like the Rush Hour trilogy and the 'Shanghai' movies with Owen Wilson, Skiptrace is a film that is perfect for anyone who liked those franchises, and one of the more memorable buddy action/comedy efforts in a while.
Maybe it's due to my huge soft spot for buddy movies, or the fact that I've always found Knoxville and Chan to be two incredibly charismatic, physically gifted performers with an admirable eagerness to please their respective fans, but whatever the reason, I had a great time watching Skiptrace. It's impossible not to like a movie that has lines like "she's a Siberian Terminator" and features a goofy scene in which Jackie Chan leads a group sing-along to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". Skiptrace is predictable and fairly dumb most of the time, but it's also consistently enjoyable, funny, and very fast paced. Chan doesn't quite have the chemistry with Knoxville that he had with Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour trilogy, though the two still make a likable duo to watch for two hours. Renny Harlin seems to have taken great care to make sure that the film features both the hand-to-hand/martial arts fighting that Chan fans would expect, along with the pratfalls and groin hits that Knoxville fans would want. The action set pieces work, the slapstick is goofy without being overly juvenile, and much like all of Harlin's work, the film is well shot and looks good.
In terms of tone, this is easily among the lightest and least violent of Harlin's filmography. While Skiptrace may not have the edge or quality of Harlin's best flicks like Die Hard 2 or The Long Kiss Good Night, it shares the same sense of fun adventure that Harlin brought to those. It's a shame that this wasn't given a wide release in the U.S., as this could have been seen as a comeback for Harlin, as here he shows that he still has what it takes to deliver tremendously entertaining action fare. This is far and away Harlin's best work in over a decade. Recommended. 8/10
Maybe it's due to my huge soft spot for buddy movies, or the fact that I've always found Knoxville and Chan to be two incredibly charismatic, physically gifted performers with an admirable eagerness to please their respective fans, but whatever the reason, I had a great time watching Skiptrace. It's impossible not to like a movie that has lines like "she's a Siberian Terminator" and features a goofy scene in which Jackie Chan leads a group sing-along to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". Skiptrace is predictable and fairly dumb most of the time, but it's also consistently enjoyable, funny, and very fast paced. Chan doesn't quite have the chemistry with Knoxville that he had with Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour trilogy, though the two still make a likable duo to watch for two hours. Renny Harlin seems to have taken great care to make sure that the film features both the hand-to-hand/martial arts fighting that Chan fans would expect, along with the pratfalls and groin hits that Knoxville fans would want. The action set pieces work, the slapstick is goofy without being overly juvenile, and much like all of Harlin's work, the film is well shot and looks good.
In terms of tone, this is easily among the lightest and least violent of Harlin's filmography. While Skiptrace may not have the edge or quality of Harlin's best flicks like Die Hard 2 or The Long Kiss Good Night, it shares the same sense of fun adventure that Harlin brought to those. It's a shame that this wasn't given a wide release in the U.S., as this could have been seen as a comeback for Harlin, as here he shows that he still has what it takes to deliver tremendously entertaining action fare. This is far and away Harlin's best work in over a decade. Recommended. 8/10