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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Skiptrace' [Blu-ray + Digital HD]
(Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eve Torres, Eric Tsang, et al / Blu-ray+Digital HD / PG-13 / 2016 / LGF)

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

Blu-ray Verdict: OK, before we proceed, let's all learn just what a "SkipTrace" actually is. By definition, Skiptracing is much like a form of fugitive recovery and is the process of locating a person's whereabouts for any number of purposes. A skiptracer is someone who performs this task, which may be the person's primary occupation.

And so we now get the pleasure of seeing Jackie Chan back in "Hollywood" action as Hong Kong detective Benny Chan here in LGF's 'Skiptrace'. For years the by-the-book detective has worked to avenge his partner's murder at the hands of a mysterious drug lord. When Benny learns that freewheeling American Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville) has the evidence he needs, he tracks him down and then reluctantly teams up with him to get justice. The trouble is, there are many, oh so many people trying to stop that from happening and so Benny and Connor have to do almost anything and everything to stay alive, fight for their lives - and each other!

Wow! Director Renny Harlin ('Die Hard 2', 'Cliffhanger') really brings the action buddy comedy back into full swing with 'Skiptrace', trust me. Harlin has lovingly studied stuff like 'Rush Hour' and 'Shanghai Noon', creating a piece of adventurous fun that sits on the same level as those beloved classics, and even outdoes them in some areas of the stunt work. Chan must be well into his 50's now, but he still swings about like a squirrel monkey on Ritalin, agile as ever!

However, Knoxville is a little less graceful, getting pummeled and thrown around in ways that must remind his weary bones of all that stupid, backbreaking suffering he cavorted through on Jackass. Then again, that's always been his got-o role that appeals to his fans, and here it works brilliantly. I mean, sure there are scenes that are completely out of the Laurel & Hardy playbook, but they were a great comedy duo, with perfect comedic timing, so we should allow some artistic fun to appear sometimes.

Also, I have to give major kudos to any flick that let's us see a hammered Chan wail away an impromptu rendition of Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep', accompanied by dozens of Mongolian plain dwelling tribes people. Yeah, for sure 'Skiptrace' is some of the most fun I've had watching a comedy movie so far this year - maybe the last few years, in truth. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of:

When Jackie Me Johnny
Director Commentary

www.LGF.com

Official 'Skiptrace' Trailer





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