Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan gives his self-mocking humor full flourish in City Hunter, adapted from a Japanese comic book. But that doesn't mean there isn't a solid dose of action--after a brilliantly cartoonish opening, the movie settles into a half-comedy, half-thriller variation on Die Hard, in which Eurotrash terrorists have hijacked a plush ocean cruise liner and super-detective Ryu Saeba (Chan) has to stop them, aided by his lovely, love-lorn assistant (Joey Wong, A Chinese Ghost Story, Green Snake) and a beautiful undercover secret agent (Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer). Though City Hunter is short on breathtaking stunts, there's plenty of well-choreographed hand-to-hand combat. Jackie Chan's lecherous, self-absorbed character (accompanied by a parade of girls into skimpy or skin-tight outfits) come across like a gleeful parody of James Bond (slightly marred by a bit of homophobia). All in all, a high energy romp.
Jackie Chan is the girl-chasing detective Ryu Saeba in this hilarious live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese comic book/anime series, now finally available in the U.S.! When Ryu is asked to track down a rich tycoon's runaway daughter, Shizuko, he ends up on a luxury cruise ship held hostage by a group of international terrorists. With a little help from a bumbling assistant, Kaori, Ryu has to save Shizuko, the wealthy passengers and more beautiful women than even he can handle.
City Hunter has an all-star cast that includes Joey Wong (A Chinese Ghost Story), and Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer), and featuring Richard Norton (Mr. Nice guy) and Gary Daniels. In a now-classic fight, Jackie and Daniels are transformed into characters from the Streetfighter 2 video game! City Hunter is laugh-out-loud manga in motion, packed full of Jackie's trademark fights and stunts guaranteed to make both anime and Jackie Chan's fans Gala Gala Happy! |