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I don't know what else I should have expected, but for a live-action manga adaptation of the early 90s, and one starring Jackie Chan no less, this embraces abject cartoonishness far exceeding my wildest assumptions. Kids' movies of the same period have nothing on 'City hunter'; Chan is no stranger to action-comedies, yet this is a title that puts the comedy first, and in which no small amount of the stunts, effects, choreography, editing, and otherwise action is specifically geared toward building that comedy. This is to say nothing of the wild choices of costume design, acting and direction, the playful original music, cinematography, or the art direction. Every last trace of the film is as over the top as it could be, including characters, dialogue, and scene writing; only if the manga were realized as anime could the result have been more frivolous. Anyone who can't abide the most outrageous and ham-handed of fare is advised to just look away from the outset, because this operates on a level that makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look like ponderous drama.

To be perfectly honest that often juvenile flippancy does become overbearing, and not least right about the time that the story aboard a cruise ship takes a break for a big musical and dance sequence - which, for the record, comes after only about one-third of the runtime has elapsed. That's far from the end of it though; a sequence in the last act recalls the worst buffoonery of 'Freddy's dead: The final nightmare' a couple years before, and frankly takes it even further. Would that the sheer overcooked boisterousness were the only issue, for there is also some ugly homophobia on hand, and the script and camera commonly treat women with a lasciviousness that's plainly off-putting rather than titillating. More generally, there are some points in the narrative that are just downright thin, and I can't imagine some beats or ideas ever coming off well even on paper. This is built solely to entertain, but some aspects here are emphatically not fun at all, and sometimes filmmaker Wong Jing simply went too far with some of the choices that were made; there are upper limits on the lasting entertainment value to be had here.

Yet even as 'City hunter' takes every idea to major extremes, and some inclusions are dubious or altogether tawdry, more than not it remains solidly enjoyable. Not every decision made here is a good one, but in and of themselves I can't say that anyone contributing here didn't turn in great work. The filming locations are swell, and the sets really are outstanding. The costume design, hair, and makeup are lovely. The direction, cinematography, and editing are all marvelously sharp, and the cast unreservedly commit to all the silliness. Above all, all the stunts, effects, choreography, and action really are superb, and wouldn't look out of place in a more serious-minded feature. Even that sequence of song and dance is a minor joy, however absurd it is on the face of things. The outright nonsense becomes a step too far, yet if all you want out of Golden Harvest is tremendous action and stunt work, then this picture delivers in spades.

In some measure it's definitely a mixed bag; with more restraint and a tad more mindful care the flick would surely enjoy a more significant legacy. It may have only wanted to have a good time, yet sometimes Too Much really is just Too Much. At the same time, 'City hunter' has no illusions of being anything other than a preposterous, irreverent joy ride, and even if some odds and ends share more in common with 'Looney tunes' than 'Die hard,' by and large this is a blast. Unless you're a huge fan of Chan or someone else involved, Golden Harvest, or the manga, there's surely no need to go out of your way for this. It bears repeating though, that the stunts and action are pretty much just brilliant, and by that measure alone 'City hunter' is worth checking out if you have the opportunity.

I think this was the first "true" Jackie Chan movie I've seen...I was blown away by the stunts and fighting, but wow, this is ridiculous! I love it!!!! It's very bizarre, and really colorful. More or less, it's "Under Siege," but with Wong Jing's typical "anything goes" goofiness! A lot of people I know hate this, but I absolute adore this live-action cartoon...I guess you just have to be of a certain type to enjoy it...and oh yeh, it has the finest selection of great-looking women I've ever seen in one film!

Based on a comic by Tsukasa Houjo, City Hunter was made because a Japanese fan mentioned to Jackie Chan that he looks like Ryo Saeba.

Ryo Saeba (Jackie Chan) is asked to bring back Seiko (Kumoko Goto) back to Japan. On their way back, the luxury liner carrying both gets high jacked by gangs. Ryo, Seiko and others battle the gang inside the luxury liner.

The movie is made to appeal to both Hong Kong and Japanese audience, and actor Joey Wong who was popular at the time in Japan appears as Ryo Saeba's girlfriend. Kumiko Goto who was popular in Japan at the time also appears. All star cast of Richard Norton, Leon Lai, and Chingmy Yau also appears to appeal to audiences in both countries. There's a comical scene where characters that looks like the Street Fighter appearing in fight scenes.

This movie is bit different from other Jackie Chan movies, in that body exploitation with many men and women in their swim suit appearing, and overt comedy is part of the story. But the fight scene between Richard Norton and Jackie Chan is pure Jackie Chan movie.

Many people say this is the only Jackie Chan movie that doesn't work, but it is an entertaining movie with some good action spread in between.

This movie is based on an anime series by the same title. And as such is quite different from typical Jackie Chan fare. For one there are all these cartoon gimmicks like weird flashbacks, giant mallets, and other things I can't quite describe but which give the movie a weird cartoon feeling. Some great fight scenes as always, and some beautiful women! (I especially liked the voluptuous comic relief girl). Go rent it!

There is only two words that i can describe this movie with. Weird and funny. It is very weird, and very funny. I really like Jackie's City Hunter, even though Ive never read the comic or seen the anime. This flick is a light movie not to be taken seriously. If you do, well, you will miss out on all the fun!