Terrible Title...Not A Bad Movie..."Skiptrace"

Skiptrace (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eric Tsang, Eve Torres, Winston Chao,

Directed by Renny Harlin

The Story:

Detective Bennie Chan (Chan) is on the trail of shadowy gangster who killed his partner (Tsang) years ago. His obsession with a case is taking a toll on him, and he is sent on vacation. Meanwhile, an American gambler (Knoxville) is having issues of his own. When he witnesses a murder, he might finally have the evidence that Chan needs to finally catch the bad guy red-handed!

If that plot sounds awfully familiar, it's pretty much the plot to Rush Hour and works pretty much the same way:

Chan can't find notorious bad guy.

Chan meets his humorous partner.

The two are oil and water.

They work against each other.

They finally work with each other.

They catch the bad guy.

Happy ending.

And if you've got a successful scenario like that, and the most famous international action movie star of all time, you don't tinker with it too terribly much.

So yes, it's familiar enough...

That's what you get with just about any Jackie Chan film.

And if you're a fan, that's really more than enough.

Considering the man is over 60, his action scenes are still really enjoyable to behold and it's amazing what he can still do out there.

Knoxville works well as an obnoxious American, but when hasn't he?

:)

Final Grade: C+

Do You Understand the Review That Is Coming Out of My Mouth? "Rush Hour"

It ain't 'you all', it's y'all!

The Story:

Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) comes to America to help find the kidnapped daughter of his old boss.  He is handed over to LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) by the FBI who want those two as far away from the case as possible.  Can the two figure out a way to work together long enough to save a little girl's life?

Well, duh!

: )

15 years ago, Rush Hour burst onto the scene.


It was a Lethal Weapon for a whole new generation.

Though this action flick was not nearly as gritty as before, there was much more emphasis put on the comedic tone of the movie than Lethal Weapon had employed.

Which also explains why the kids have seen this franchise, and not thrilled to the exploits of Riggs and Murtaugh...

Yet!

But they followed the formula of oil and water...night and day... with two cops that are polar opposites, but both are really good at what they do, and when they finally work together, magic happens.

Helmed by Brett Ratner, one of the more disliked directors in Hollywood.  However whenever I see a Brett Ratner movie, I've always enjoyed it.  Heck, I own most of his library!

:)

Jackie Chan of course, was the big draw to this film for me.  I've always loved his action films and stunt work.

The big surprise was Chris Tucker, who did not annoy me to death when I watched the film.  The more I've watched the franchise, the more fun I've had watching these films.  He has the best lines, and delivers them with style.

Finally, whenever the song "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey plays on the radio, I can't help but think of this movie.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd say it gets watched roughly once a year, and yes, I happily own it.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 42 ~ Rush Hour

The following review is G-14 Classified....


Another day...another unconventional choice for a Top 100 list.

Jackie Chan returns to the countdown in another "Buddy Picture".  This time, he's a cop from Hong Kong (please, stretch your imagination to make this work...) and he gets teamed with L.A.s most obnoxious cop: Chris Tucker.  Together they will solve the crime that the rest of the FBI is unable to solve.  If they survive the bad guys...and each other.

I've mentioned it before, I am a big fan of the buddy picture.  This isn't my first foray on the list... and it won't be the last, either.

Where to begin?

Jackie Chan.  I love Jackie Chan.  Ever since Cannonball Run, I thought he was an awesome little daredevil.  Until Rumble in the Bronx, I hadn't seen much from him.  Luckily with the success of that film, many of his other films became available for me to watch, and I've seen many.  Some were great...some good...some...meh.

But at the end of the day, I still love me some Jackie Chan.  He gets to play the fish out of water who learns a few things, and teaches a few things to his brash partner.  Which leads us to...

Chris Tucker.  My first exposure to Mr. Tucker was in The Fifth Element.  He was annoying...and yet funny...  Amazingly, I realize he is simply playing Christ Tucker. : )  Again, same character traits in Rush Hour, but with a little more humor and action than I had seen before.

For the record, unlike many sequels, I also enjoyed Rush Hour 2, and 3.  3 more than 2.  Your mileage of course may vary.

Finally, Brett Ratner, the director of the trilogy.

I will not apologize for the fact that I have enjoyed ever Brett Ratner film I've ever watched.  All 3 Rush Hours, The Family Man (which I believe I mentioned just missed making this list), After the Sunset, Tower Heist and yes, X-Men 3.  Actually, I may have enjoyed X-3 better than the first 2 installments.

So there.

And if they decide to make a Rush Hour 4, that's fine with me, because I will be more than happy to add it my collection.