Movie review
July 21, 2016 · 107 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Skiptrace is a 2016 action comedy directed by Renny Harlin. It stars Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong detective who teams up with an American gambler played by Johnny Knoxville to expose and stop a powerful Chinese crime boss while protecting the detective’s goddaughter. The story centers on revenge for a fallen partner, cross-border chases, fights, and buddy-team humor in a standard crime-fighting setup. No audience-visible identity politics, activist dialogue, or social-justice framing appear in the plot, characters, or marketing.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Skiptrace.
Woke representation / casting
Casting fits the story’s Hong Kong detective, American gambler, and Chinese crime elements exactly; no visible forced diversity or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue stays on crime investigation, personal grudges, and light buddy comedy with zero political or activist content.
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative is revenge, partner loyalty, and syndicate takedown through action and teamwork; no identity or social-justice plotlines.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays police as honorable and criminals as villains in a traditional good-versus-evil frame; no modern activist critiques of institutions, gender roles, or Western norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant — original story with no source material or historical figures altered.
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No reports of woke backlash, diversity complaints, or activist accusations in news or social media.
Creator track record context
Director Renny Harlin and writers show no prior activist, political, or identity-driven projects; Jackie Chan’s career emphasizes traditional action films.
