If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I first heard of Jackie Chan from the Rush Hour movies. Since then I've watched him come out in a few good American movies. Not every movie can become a hit. SkipTrace falls in between his best and those that were not so good. The story line is not original, but how can it be with so many cop movies and TV shows out today, but bring in a little Jackie Chan humor and it becomes a decent movie. It's not a Hollywood blockbuster, but who needs Hollywood when you have Jackie. Johnny Knoxville is not known for being a great actor, but his performance is good enough to help move the movie along. I was never bored watching this movie, it kept my interest from beginning to end. That's all you can ask from some movies. I was surprised it was only released in Italy? and not the US? Was it straight to DVD after Italy? Doesn't matter, if you can't find anything on TV to watch, check out this movie it will help waste a couple hours of you life.

Is this Jackie Chan at his best? Of course not, but if you like him or the particular style of movies, then you should be able to have fun with this. It's not really science to put a movie like this together, things just happen and the action sequences are decent enough put together (again don't look for excellence).Even former Jackass and now Chan partner has a role that is fitting. He's no Owen Wilson of course or Chris Tucker for that matter. But he does his schtick and it ... sticks. The jokes may not have the impact some could have and many things are predictable, but that's the way it is. Don't overthink it (any of it), just sit back, relax and take it in

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

Skiptrace finds Jackie Chan trying that odd Chinese-American combination yet again, but unfortunately he fails miserably this time. Johnny Knoxville fails to fire up that natural flair of comedy that Owen Wilson had so effortlessly aced in the Shanghai franchise. Unfortunately the movie falls like dominoes owing to a bland plot and an unvarying disconnect that rips apart whatever Skiptrace was trying to walk upon.DIRECTION OF SKIPTRACE The direction of Skiptrace is absolutely pathetic. Renny Harlin isn't really sure what he wishes to show. You can see that confusion in his frames. Or maybe that element of clarity is missing from his head that clouds his judgment. Editing will compel you to shake your head. It is that bad.Humour is quite confined, always acting contrary to our expectations. With Johnny Knoxville in the vanguard to stay as the primary entertainer of Skiptrace, expectations naturally shot up high. But Johnny made it all mediocre. You keep waiting for something funny, but then the wait becomes punishing.The plot is forced upon to entertain a deliberate road trip. You feel the emptiness of it all when you see nothing substantial emanate from any corner. We are always heading towards something, so that's kind of good.Chan and Knoxville create an okay chemistry though it is hard to compare their pairing up with the likes of what you have seen over the years.NOSTALGIC OLD TIMES Gone are those days when Jackie used to be young, and his fight scenes used to be the ogling kind. It always sends me back in time, when I try to remember all of his arresting fight sequences from the likes of Project A series, Who Am I, City Hunter, Armour of God and Police Story franchise. He still manages to entertain us nevertheless, but the quantum of combat bits in his movies has seen a gradual decline over the years. Maybe old age is doing that to him. It is in a way sad, because even when his movies didn't bank on a good storyline, he used to still uplift them with his jaw-dropping brawls. We miss that profusely.Now that I think of it every Jackie Chan movie is ending up like that. Maybe for a change he should use a stunt double so that he doesn't hurt himself delivering those parkour like stunts, as is quite evident from his end credit scenes.THE FINAL VERDICT Skiptrace makes for a passable watch, preferable when you are fine with your brain taking a holiday for a change. You cannot help but think, it is time Jackie Chan amp up his entertaining quotient, by partnering up with either Owen Wilson or Tucker again. At least that magic was working for him.