Jackie Chan Is Still Going Strong in Action Comedy ‘Skiptrace’

Sandra Miska

Martial arts legend Jackie Chan saves the day in his new action film “Skiptrace,” and this time around he takes on evildoers with the help of Johnny Knoxville, as his wisecracking sidekick, in this Hong Kong-American action comedy.

Chan stars as Bernie Chan, a Hong Kong detective tracking notorious crime boss Victor “Matador” Wong (Winston Chao). Things get personal after the daughter of Bernie’s late partner, Samantha (Fan Bingbing), whom Chan promised to look after, gets caught up in Wong’s crime syndicate. An undercover cop herself, Samantha finds herself in danger after witnessing a murder, and she’s not the only one. American con man and gambler Connor Watts (Knoxville) also witnesses the crime, and the fallout out involves her being kidnapped and him being shipped off to Siberia.

In order to save Samantha, Bernie must make the long and arduous trip to Russia and back to Hong Kong with Connor, during which hilarity promises to ensue. The journey includes an Adele sing-a-long and ends with a shocking twist.

“Skiptrace” was filmed primarily in China and Hong Kong with Finnish director, Renny Harlin, best known for “Die Hard 2” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight.” Tragedy struck during production after a boat carrying several members of the crew capsized off the coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. While most of the crew was able to swim to shore, cinematographer Chan Kwok-Hung sadly lost his life.

This latest Chan vehicle opened in China this past July and earned a whopping $62 million in its opening weekend. It remains to be seen if “Skiptrace” will come close to replicating the success of “Rush Hour” Stateside.

“Skiptrace” opens Sept. 2 in select theaters.