Jackie Chan is back!

Majestic and Empire Cineplex brings to its widescreen the latest odd-couple action comedy ‘Skiptrace’ based on an amiable buddy relationship with partner co-star Johnny Knoxville.

This plot revolves around Chan’s straight-arrow Hong Kong cop who is captor, then comrade to Knoxville’s genially slippery Yankee con man. Directed by Renny Harlin, this HK-US-China co-production is a perpetual-motion-machine of scenes showing off one exotic international location after another.

Things start unpromisingly on a must avenge my partnernote with Bennie Chan (Chan) failing to rescue police colleague Yung (Eric Tsang) from an apparent trap by elusive crime kingpin the Matador. As Yung nobly plunges to a presumed watery grave, he makes Bennie promise to look after his motherless daughter. 

Nine years later, Yungs now-grown daughter, Samantha (Bingbing Fan), is working semi-undercover at a lavish Macau gambling palace, likewise hoping to find some connection between its owner, Wong, and her fathers death. She ends up being pulled into the fracas that ensues when rhinestone cowboy-styled Yankee Connor Watts (Knoxville) witnesses a murder on-site, while fleeing Russian mobsters after cleaning out the casinos coffers. This results in Connor being hauled off to Siberia, Samantha being kidnapped, and Bennie being forced to pursue Connor in order to save Samantha, as well as resolve the Matador mystery once and for all.

‘Skiptrace’ is the kind of movie that gives you your money’s worth in sheer eager-to-please entertainment. The whopping $62 million it reportedly pulled in last weekend’s China opening is unlikely to be equaled elsewhere.

‘Skiptrace’ will be released from 9 September by Ceylon Theatres at Majestic Cineplex 10.15 1.15 4.15 7.15 Fri/Sat 10.15 pm and Empire Cineplex 10.15 1.15 4.15 7.15 Fri/Sat 10.15.