Stars Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Fan Bing Bing, Eve Torres, Winston Chao, Zhang Lan Xin and Eric Tsang Directed by Renny Harlin Despite the presence of director Renny Harlin, this is very much a Jackie Chan movie in the vein of Rumble in The Bronx, Police Story 4: First Strike or even The Spy Next Door. It’s also far more evident that the great stuntman is slowing down, particularly in the behind-the-scenes clips running during the end credits. Some of the stunts and fight choreography are still spectacular but there appears to be less risk taking than before. And in Skiptrace, Chan’s character also faces that aspect of growing old and outmoded. The main plot revolves more around Chan’s Hong Kong cop escorting Johnny Knoxville’s shady gambler from Russia back to Hong Kong, initially to help the daughter of a friend. Things are more complicated in that regard, but for the most part, this is Chan’s Midnight Run (if you’re not familiar, go find that excellent 1988 Robert DeNiro/Charles Grodin flick). The nature of this particular road trip does allow for some hilarious situations, including one very wholly unexpected musical number that is a pleasant surprise (not something you’d expect in a Renny Harlin film, but might not have been misplaced in an earlier Jackie Chan film) , as well as some decent action scenes as Knoxville’s gambler is targeted by two different gangs along the way. While the actions scenes are fairly truncated in comparison to a typical Jackie Chan kung-fu flick, and the plot doesn’t stretch any storytelling muscles, the entertainment level is up there. Perhaps not as much as one might expect. In that of itself, it’s a nice little time-waster that is likely to elicit a grin on your face by the end. Rating *** / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|