Skiptrace (2016)
★★½ — Skiptrace (2016)
Skiptrace arrived during a period when Jackie Chan was leaning heavily into Chinese co-productions aimed squarely at the mainland market, a strategy that had already paid off handsomely with the CZ12 and Police Story: Lockdown era films. Renny Harlin, the Finnish-born action director best known for Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, had by this point drifted considerably from his 1990s Hollywood peak, and this represents one of several mid-budget international productions he took on during the 2010s. Shot across Russia, Mongolia, and China, the film pairs Chan with Johnny Knoxville (of Jackass fame) in a pairing clearly designed to give the project some Western commercial appeal, while Fan Bingbing, one of China's biggest stars at the time, provided obvious box office pull domestically. It more than quadrupled its $32 million budget on release.
Skiptrace (2016) pairs the legendary Jackie Chan with Jonny Knoxville in a mismatched buddy-cop adventure that, on paper, sounds like a recipe for chaotic fun. Chan plays a Hong Kong detective tracking a notorious gambler across continents, while Knoxville plays a loud, scamming American tour guide who gets caught in the crossfire. The promise of Chan’s gravity meeting Knoxville’s goofball energy is tempting, especially if you’re nostalgic for Rush Hour-style banter. And sure, there are flashes of it. Chan delivers his usual breathtaking stunt work (at least toned down) and charm, and Knoxville leans into the comic relief with his trademark slapstick and cowardly bravado. A few action sequences show flashes of the inventiveness classic Chan films thrive on. But beyond the stunts, Skiptrace feels flat. The chemistry between the leads never fully ignites. The humour leans too hard on Knoxville’s tired prankster shtick, the plot is forgettable, and the pacing drags despite its globe-trotting scope. It’s all very by-the-numbers: chase, fight, joke, repeat. It’s not offensive or badly made, just utterly average. A serviceable time-killer with one great martial artist and one guy trying to ride his coattails. Watchable if you’re flipping channels at 3 a.m., but nowhere near essential. A missed opportunity for real spark. Chan deserves better. So does Knoxville. But mostly, so do we.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2016 | Watched: 2025-10-16
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Jackie Chan: Hand of Death (1976) · Rumble in the Bronx (1995) · Gorgeous (1999) · Shanghai Noon (2000)
More from China: Men in Black: International (2019) · New Police Story (2004) · Police Story: Lockdown (2013) · Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
