Skiptrace (2016)

A detective from Hong Kong teams up with an American gambler to battle against a notorious Chinese criminal.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Jay Longino (story), Jay Longino (screenplay)

Stars:

Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Chan	...	Bennie Chan
Johnny Knoxville	...	Connor Watts
Bingbing Fan	...	Samantha Bai
Eric Tsang	...	Yung
Eve Torres	...	Dasha (as Eve Gracie)
Winston Chao	...	Victor Wong
Jeong-hun Yeon	...	Willie (as Junghoon Youn)
Shi Shi	...	Leslie
Michael Wong	...	Tang
Dylan Kuo	...	Esmond (as Pin Chao Kuo)
Zoe Zhang	...	Ting Ting (as Zhang Lanxin)
Wei Na	...	Officer Wu (as Na Wei)
Charlie Rawes	...	Sergei
Michael Gor	...	Dima (as Mikhail Gorevoy)
Sara Maria Forsberg	...	Natalya (as Sara Forsberg)

Storyline

Still blaming himself for the untimely demise of his best friend after nine long years, the veteran Hong Kong police detective, Bennie Chan, still finds himself on a wild-goose chase, trying to expose the elusive criminal kingpin known only as "The Matador". So far, nothing has changed, and Bennie's main suspect--the corrupt entrepreneur, Victor Wong--is, above all, legally untouchable. However, when Samantha--his late partner's only daughter--has a brush with the mob, Bennie will have no other choice but to seek help from an improbable ally: the flamboyant American gambler, Conor Watts, who has serious problems of his own with the Russian mafia. Now, the unlikely duo must cross the vast landscapes of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert to return to Hong Kong in one piece, as the Matador is still unknown. Will Bennie ever find the hard evidence he needs to put him once and for all behind bars?

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Plot Keywords:

detective | gambler | american | chinese | traveling on foot | 

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Taglines:

Watch your backup.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action/violence, some suggestive content, language, brief nudity and drug material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Chan came up with the name "Bennie" for his character, so, at some point, his partner's daughter Samantha to called him "Uncle Bennie". This is an homage to Kim Chan, who played the character "Uncle Benny" in American movies including Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). He only changed the ending -y to -ie out of courtesy.

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Goofs

As Samantha comes down the stairs, she kicks her leg out of her dress and reveals a pair of black shoes. A few minutes later as she escorts Connor into the lift she's clearly wearing a pair of red shoes.

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Quotes

Bennie Chan: [after being struck in the neck by Connor] Have they gone?
Leslie: [smiling] Yes.
Bennie Chan: [faints]

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Crazy Credits

Film bloopers screen side by side with the credits. (no subtitles)

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Connections

References Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

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Soundtracks

Toroi Bandi
Performed by Khusugtun

User Reviews

same old Jackie

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

China Hong Kong USA

Language:

Mandarin English Mongolian

Release Date:

2 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Skiptrace

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$136,579,287

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dasym Media, Talent International Film Cultural Company, Shanghai New Culture Media Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Auro 11.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1