City Hunter [DVD]

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

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. –Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Based on a popular Japanese comic strip, Hong Kong’s high-flying martial arts action hero Jackie Chan stars as private Ryu Saeba in City Hunter. Hired to find the runaway daughter of a Japanese publishing tycoon, Ryu’s first impulse is to turn the job down – until he sees a picture of the beautiful Shizuko (Kumiko Goto). Hot on her heels, Ryu tracks her down on board a cruise ship, and much to the annoyance of his jealous female sidekick Kaori (Joey Wong) the womanizing Ryu seems more interested in catching Shizuko’s attention than returning her safely to her father. However, Ryu’s romantic plans quickly go astray when a gang of ruthless criminals hijack the ship and hold the passengers to ransom. To save the day Jackie Chan’s unique action style reigns supreme in a series of brilliantly conceived fight sequences as Ryu swings into action to dispatch the bad guys and rescue the goergeous Shizuko!