City Hunter (1993)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A very atypical kind of movie for Jackie, this ups the dumb Chinese humour level tenfold and the result is an amazingly stupid and inane movie with many annoying moments… and yet, it is saved thanks to some expert choreography and half a dozen genuinely funny action sequences which raise the bar for similar fare. Chan's character is based on an anime hero, but the simple plot seems to be a comic reprise of UNDER SIEGE, with plenty of cheeky nods to other Hollywood fare like DIE HARD (for instance, when the hostage is negotiating and starts laughing). The humour comes thick and fast but is very lowbrow and of the slapstick variety, with the typical clichéd Hong Kong supports: the cowardly guy with the thick hair; the screaming, clumsy damsels-in-distress; the extremely annoying sidekick who fancies Chan and, of course, the big, bulky foreign bad guys.My advice is to ignore the plot and inane scripting and concentrate on the great scenes intermingled with the bull. The opening skateboard chase is a little too cheesy for my liking, but once Chan gets onto the ship the action starts to roll – especially when he fights villainous henchmen and ship guards alike. There are plenty of great moments to choose from, but his first battle with British villain Gary Daniels is a must-see and the second, literally eye-popping. This involves the pair battling in a video arcade and turning into various characters from 'Streetfighter 2'; this is a perfect combination of cheese, costumes and amazing special effects and camera tricks that really makes you feel like you're watching the game. It's insanely funny, as is the bit where he fights two huge henchmen using Bruce Lee's GAME OF DEATH for inspiration. There are other good bits in the film – the gambler character with his deadly cards is great, as is Jackie's escape from the exploding corridor – but the final martial arts battle between Chan and Richard Norton is really phenomenal. It goes on for ages and never lets up, using props to their full extent, and one of the most painful fights I've watched! Chan goes over the top as the script requires and is pretty annoying in some places, but redeems himself with some of the most acrobatic moves I've seen him display. The female support is large, but only the backside-kicking policewoman, played by Chingamy Yau being much cop (no pun intended) – not forgetting her accomplice, whose breasts are always getting her into trouble!Bad guys include a brief appearance from Jackie's bodyguard Ken Lo and the aforementioned Gary Daniels. This is really Daniels' breakthrough role and what better way to introduce the formidable actor than in an intense training sequence with an incredible splits manoeuvre! Norton is a treat as the charismatic villain, and his performance here makes me determined to track down more of his movies. A very weird film, easy to dislike and hard to get into for the first half, which evens out to offer some classic action moments.

I like this film. I was already familiar with the City Hunter animé, which to be honest is even more risqué than this Wong Jing offering.Jackie Chan is hilarious, but in a slightly different way to his usual comedy persona. You have to remember when you watch this film, that you're watching a live action cartoon. This will allow you to take this film with a pinch of salt, and in so-doing you will not take it too seriously.There is plenty of action in this film, kung-fu included, mostly because Jackie Chan plays Ryu Saeba. The fighting is terrific, and once again hilarious, as you see big, mean baddies reduced to comical fighting roles, rather than the more serious bleeding, and sweating, then dying roles.Chingmy Yau is in this film, looking gorgeous, as usual. She is given more license than most women in Wong Jing films to be independent, and not to be a hot idiot, but essentially, she remains a hot idiot.I particularly enjoyed the nod to Bruce Lee in this film, when Chan is forced to fight two massive bad guys in a cinema.Overall, this is a fun film. Chan fans will enjoy it. City Hunter fans will enjoy it. Wong Jing fans will enjoy it. Non-fans of the aforementioned may not enjoy it, and women's lib chicks will find it insulting and degrading to women, but to be honest, they need to get a life and get into the goddamn kitchen to make me something to eat!

"City Hunter" is one of the finest Jackie Chan's achievements (together with "Project 'A'", "Police Story", and "Dragon Lord"). This action/comedy flick has everything, which I want to get from Mr Jackie Chan: buffoonery, high-octane stunts, and tough evil characters. What is more, it has a charming "comics" style, a very pleasant soundtrack (the music becomes to the film perfectly), and wonderful Asian women who can fall nicely. Every single minute of this movie is a great chip, and a pile of such chips make up one solid fist of entertainment. Bizarre characters (a quick "cards" guy with "floating" hair, a pair of gamers, a pair of female secret agents, a gay terrorist, etc.) make it all weird like hell. The scene of "gaming" fight is so stupid, that I could not believe my eyes at first. And the final fight with Mr Richard Norton's evil incarnation is extremely well choreographed. Mr Bruce Lee also makes his unforgettable contribution. Well, I guess, I can say tons of good things about this movie.More good things are mentioned below.The use of colours all through the movie is remarkable: combinations of red and black in the women clothing, the white camouflage of Mr Jackie Chan on the white cruiser, the bluish tint during the card play, the screaming red used for cars and terrorists, etc.The main villain announces his name and it is … "Mac. You can call me McDonald". We all chuckled while watching because this funny name reminds of McDonald's fast food and of the notorious Donald Duck (remember that cartoon "Old McDonald had a farm…"?). How can you take this villain seriously when he is named like that? Besides, Mr Richard Norton does not look like a killer and all his face expressions are ridiculous. I also liked his zany performance in "Twinkle, Twinkle…". He is simply outstanding as an "awkward" criminal.The way the masked terrorists are moving around is funny. They turn in such a stupid way, as if they are cheap computer game characters.The way the gay terrorist shuts the door with his right leg is unbelievable. I don't even dare to try that – it seems to be freaking impossible.All through the movie the evil characters giggle in a very wicked way. It goes "he-he", "he-he", and "he-he". Somebody can get nervous, as to me – I like it.The older generation here can watch it seriously and take it all to heart. It amuses me even more. How can you treat this thing seriously? Somehow they can.The "big hammer" scenes are nice. I guess, it's a good possibility to imagine that you squash somebody who sets your teeth on edge with a huge hammer.Absurdity rules in this movie from start to finish. In that sphere I like it much more than "Monty Python" stuff in "Holy Grail".And one more "fatality" remark: I have never played "Street Fighter II" and I don't know a bit who and what those characters painted on the wall are, but I still find the "Street Fighter" combat scene absolutely insane and thought-provoking.Almost forgot: Mr Jackie Chan makes so many insane faces and moves in this one, that I ask myself: "What the hell? Am I dreaming?" It means: I am blown away.Unbelievable: 10 out of 10. The more I watch it, the more I like it. Thank you for attention.

A comedy based on a Japanese manga of the same name. It has Jackie acting as a PI who tends to day dream a lot (about girls in bikinis...) He and his PA go aboard a cruise ship to rescue a millionaire's daughter. The fight scenes are pretty good (Jackie in his younger days is extremely agile) and makes good use of the surrounding props.I would say the most exciting fight scene and the most humorous would be when 2 actors (cannot remember their names) crashed into a Street Fighter II machine and get transformed into Dhalsim and Guile respectively. The evil pony tail villain is transformed into Ken. Then Jackie comes along, first becomes E. Honda then Chun Li. It's something else seeing Jackie dress in a chong sum, jumping up and down.Another scene that is pretty campy is Leon Lai who portrays a card shark. Every time he does a scene involving saving a girl, it's got into slow motion and he tend to blow his fringe.Of course, lots of gratuitous gunfire, shooting and beating up people. But somehow, no blood or very minimal blood is lost.All in all, I think this is one of the greater comedy movies made by Jackie Chan when he is willing to act goofy and elicit a few laughs. I would definitely recommended it for easy viewing or just a relaxing night.The one aspect that might be a bit irritating to people would be that if the viewer cannot understand Cantonese/mandarin, the impact would be lessen as the meaning of certain innuendos would be lost in translation to English subtitles.