Jing Wong
City Hunter

City Hunter is the title of a popular Japanese manga from the 1980s and ‘90s, written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, which later became a highly successful anime.

It follows the adventures of Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura, who together form City Hunter, an independent group that operates in the shadows and can be hired as a bodyguard and a private investigator. The comic doesn’t follow a precise plot but is a series of cases one after the other that slowly uncover the past and relationships between the characters: the story is a mix of action, adventure, and humor and it has achieved notable success in Japan, the United States, France, and also Italy.

Source: Wikipedia.

Many of you still do not know that a film was made from this comic in 1993, with Jackie Chan playing Ryu Saeba and Joey Wong portraying Kaori.

This film has finally arrived in Italy in a remastered version, unfortunately only on the DVD video market. A film that will satisfy the manga enthusiasts but also admirers of the legendary Jackie Chan.

Unlike other cinematic adaptations of various comics, where the style is always changed or elements are added that have nothing to do with the comic (or with the video game, ...), here the manga of City Hunter is reproduced 100%! Everything is practically identical, from the characters’ behaviors, to the colors, the style of the actions, the gags, everything is the same. This is what I would call a photocopy of the manga in a live-action version, and this is precisely the advantage/disadvantage of the film. An advantage because the actors’ performances must faithfully recreate that kind of cartoon-like physicality, which is not an easy thing, with special effects for the effect of distorted bodies, and the scenes faithful to the manga 100% have been sped up and mixed with various editing tricks, but more than half of the physical actions are the result of the actors’ exceptional flexible mimicry, the gags, for manga lovers, are very amusing because, as I already said, they are identical to the comic (one above all, the famous giant hammer blow given by the girl to Ryu Saeba) and thanks to the numerous action and comedy scenes, you never get bored. But it can also be a disadvantage because if you don’t know the series and don’t like Jackie Chan, the film may seem like an overly silly mess (an even more exaggerated version of "The Naked Gun" or "Scary Movie" even though with a different kind of silliness). But if you like silly movies in general you can admire it even without knowing the cartoon.

Moreover, it must be said... this film is full of beautiful women! One in three gags is characterized by the erotic element, just like the cartoon, an element that never falls into vulgarity but is at the same time titillating.

Regarding the action element, 90% of the film is based on the comic model, so improbable and silly actions such as: 15-meter falls with a flattened body shape, hammer blows to the head that shrink, pies in the face, etc.

All fans of the legendary Jackie Chan will find in the last quarter-hour spectacular moments that have made the star famous. Director Jing Wong dedicates the final part of the film to a spectacular action sequence choreographed by Jackie Chan and his trusted team of Stuntmen. The result is astonishing. Jackie Chan is a genius. And he proves it, as always, with the way he skillfully combines martial arts techniques with slapstick humor from silent cinema. The fight includes everything, mimicry, acrobatics, martial arts, circus acts, even Break Dance! What can be said? Pure genius. And as usual... in the explosion scene, no green screen in the background, the technicians just press the button, the bombs explode, and Jackie... avoids the explosions by running away. No tricks or editing cuts. Good old days long gone.

In conclusion, "City Hunter" is a film that, to be appreciated, must be viewed with a certain perspective; you need to know the main actor or the comic at least a little bit, otherwise it might seem like a trivial work. Not a masterpiece, but definitely one of the most successful works adapted from a comic.

Curiosity: for fans of the video game "Street Fighter," there is an entire sequence in the film where Jackie Chan fights with his opponent by impersonating the various roles of the game characters. Practically every single feature of the video game has been rendered to the fullest! Extremely fun! Unlike that crap with Van Damme.