Movie Review in a Free Essay: Skiptrace by Jackie Chan

Skiptrace is an action and comedy movie that was released in 2016 based in Hong Kong China and America. The film, directed by Renny Harlin, was developed around the experiences of Jackie Chan as the main starring. The co-actors Fan Bingbing from China and Johnny Knoxville from America have complimented the casting process. The production of the movie and the success after the launching can be traced to the character development that plays a critical role in the plot development that interests the audience through the action-comedy storyline (Langer n.p). This excerpt is a review of the 2016 Skiptrace film produced by Charlie Coker, Jackie Chan, and Damien Saccani, and directed by Renny Harlin based on the development of character and the plot, as well as the storyline reality to attract the attention of the audience.

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The movie begins with the Bennie Chan and Yung as investigative collaborators working together to unravel the identity of the famous criminal Matador. Although the mission is cut short by the death of Yung, Bennie believes that Victor Wong killed him and that he is the notorious criminal Matador they have been investigating (Movieclips Trailers n.p). Therefore, a new leap is introduced in the story since Bennie is determined to avenge the death of the partner. In the movie, the character portrayed by Bennie after the death of his partner Yung gives the film a new turnover of events since the focus to link the identity of Wong to the criminal Matador becomes the objective of Bennie. Working towards the sole objective of bringing Wong, Bennie decides to work with Samantha, Yungs daughter, who is now grown and works as a spy in one of the Wongs casinos. Such an inclusion was necessary to increase the implication of the plot since Samantha gets into trouble during one of the Wongs criminal undertakings. The curiosity nature of Samantha is impressive not only for the plot progress but also to set the audience at a dilemma concerning the kind of trouble she will be involved. Besides, her involvement in Wongs criminal saga leaves Bennie with limited options of attaining his goals. However, the usual character play of Chan in most of his films is depicted in Skiptrace, which also gives a hint to the audience concerning the situational events based on Chans creativity and experiences.

The storyline shifts when Bennie decides to track Connor Watts who is known for his gambling activities. Connors experience and craftiness within casinos become instrumental since Bennie believes he will provide essential information that will lead to the whereabouts of Samantha and the identity of Matador (Movieclips Trailers n.p). Connor is portrayed as having been banned from America and struggles to earn a living from Chinese casinos. Such a scenario hints the audience on the difficulty that Bennie will face trying to track him. Although the movie later reveals more concerning Connor than just being banned from America, it is clear that he may corporate with Bennie to ensure that Wong goes down since he is a witness to a murder that took place in one of the Wongs casinos. At this point in the movie, the viewer is confined to the business transactions associated with criminal activities and the unknown fate of Samantha and Bennies quest to unravel the identity of Matador and avenge the death of Yung. The determined nature of Bennie, his critical thinking, as well as his experience in criminal investigations keeps the audience engaged with the hope of eventual victory for Bennie.

Furthermore, the storyline changes move to another exciting level when a Russian tycoon, for an allegation of impregnating her daughter, kidnaps Connor and Bennie has to track where he is held, hostage. The events are transformed into interesting scenarios as the duo, Bennie, and Connor, transverse a diversity of culture and geographical divide back to Hong Kong. The plot of the movie is enhanced by the incorporation of the journey through Russia and the Mongolian Steppes. As Bennie and Connor find their way back to Hong Kong several aspects are included to enhance the attention of the audience since their journey involves a cross through the Gobi Desert, walking, using a car, and by train. The reality in the movie and the comic nature of Bennie enhance the process of building an exciting sequence of events and scenarios that not only gives meaning and truth to the storyline but enhance the character development associated with the film.

Furthermore, the sites involved in the movie plays a crucial role in enhancing the storyline since a fixative approach could have altered the comedy part of the film. Therefore, the director designed the fighting scenes over a range of settings such as the raiding of drug deals, the fights within casinos and streets, and the experiences across the desert (Langer n.p). Since Jackie Chan has been an icon in the action-comedy theater, it was necessary to include the American taste through the cunning personality of Connor as depicted in the movie. Nevertheless, critical evaluation of character development, storyline, and the plot of the film does not entirely reflect the expectation of the audience since Chan and Knoxville have been comedy actors preference over the years. Therefore, combining them in a single production was a significant achievement that could transform the action-comedy platform. However, the film plot is full of tedious fights numerous humor and jokes that tend to alter the attention of the audience from the primary objective of the storyline. The character and personality of Chan in this movie lack originality and uniqueness since some aspects had already been witnessed within the plot associated with the Rush Hour and the Shanghai Noon, which sounds unsatisfactory.

In conclusion, the Skiptrace movie was developed through a succinct evaluation of the targeted audience. The move to incorporate the real life fantasies and the comedy element of cultural diversity was sufficient to attract the attention of the public. Moreover, the role played by each character was essential in developing the plot of the events to bring out a fascinating storyline. The development of each character was centralized on the theme of entertainment as well as the logical perspective of life interactions. The Bennies need to unravel the identity of the Matador is complimented by the desire to avenge the death of his partner Yung, which give momentum to the storyline. However, Chans character lacks the element of originality, which is very critical in audience influence. Besides, combining Chan and Knoxville in one film had put the expectations of the public at the higher level.

Works Cited

Langer, Shalini. The Skiptrace Movie News. The Indian Express, 2 Sept. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

Movieclips Trailers. Skiptrace Official Trailer 1 (2016) Jackie Chan Movie. You Tube 18 July 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.