Nicky Larson

The 2024 Japanese live-action City Hunter movie is a triumph, setting a new standard for adapting beloved franchises. Masterfully balancing comedy, heart-pounding action, and nuanced character development, it captures the essence of the original manga and anime while feeling fresh and modern. The lead actors embody Ryo and Kaori with uncanny precision, their chemistry electric. Stunning cinematography and inventive direction elevate even the most outlandish scenes. In comparison, the 1993 Jackie Chan film feels like a pale imitation. This City Hunter adaptation is an absolute must-see, a love letter to fans that will also win over newcomers. It's the gold standard for bringing treasured stories to life on the big screen.

Hired help, City Hunter, stumbles into a generic sci-fi plot of super-soldier drugs and a secret organization.

I've read and watched City Hunter over the years. And I believe this is the third Live-Action adaptation of Tsukasa Hojo's Manga (with Jackie Chan in 1993 and a rather strange-but-enjoyable French version), only to finally be adapted by Japan around 30-years later!! Personally, any adaptation that properly incorporates the "giant mallet" without feeling forced, gets a pass in my books.

But beyond the average script, there are many likeable elements and an excellent execution. With a good cast that delivers charming performances and keeps a suitable tone throughout. I was expecting more silliness and over the top situations, but it knows how to behave itself. Specially the lead, who is portrayed as a VERY reliable person.. and unrealistically impressive, even! I quite liked Ryohei Suzuki, specially since he is what I'd physically imagine Saeba to be!

So, while the story is barely okay.. the Action more than makes up for it. And while I would have liked to see this as a series with a better plot but all the same parts, what it is is good enough to recommend.

Granted, I've never watched the animated series upon which this 2024 movie is based, so I have no idea how true the movie is to the source material. Nor do I know whether or not you need to have watched the series in order to fully appreciate this 2024 movie from director Yûichi Satô.

Regardless, when I happened to stumble upon "Shiti Hanta" (aka "City Hunter") by random chance here in 2024, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it. I mean, given my love of the Asian cinema and this being a Japanese action comedy, of course I was interested in watching it.

Writers Tsukasa Hôjô and Tatsuro Mishima managed to put together an enjoyable and entertaining script and storyline. And I was definitely adequately entertained throughout the course of the 102 minutes that the movie ran for. And director Yûichi Satô managed to present a movie that definitely felt like it was spawned of Anime, given the characters, mannerisms, dialogues, etc. So if you enjoy Anime and live-action renderings of Anime movies and series, then you're in for a treat here.

The character gallery in "Shiti Hanta" was good, and there were some very interesting characters. And I have to say that the writers did good jobs on fleshing out the characters and making them distinguishable and memorable on the screen. The character gallery in the movie really added a lot of flavor to the movie.

I have seen actor Ryohei Suzuki and actress Misato Morita somewhere before, I just can't put my finger on where. I have to say that the acting performances in the movie were good, and they definitely had a talented ensemble of actors and actresses.

"Shiti Hanta" looked great, and there is a lot of visual treats to take in throughout the course of the movie. Thumbs up to the cinematography and the wardrobe department that worked on the movie; they really did phenomenal jobs.

There is also a good amount of action throughout the course of the movie, and it was filmed in a very energetic and dynamic way, making it feel like the audience is right there along the actors and actresses on the screen. The acting sequences looked great and added a lot to the overall impression of the movie.

I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of this movie, and it is definitely a movie that is well-worth sitting down and checking out if you enjoy Japanese cinema and Anime.

My rating of "Shiti Hanta" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I think you can ignore the bad reviews. If you liked other Netflix anime-to-film adaptations, this is one of the better ones in my opinion.

I have NOT seen the earlier anime nor read the comics. I probably have seen the Jackie Chan filmed version yet remember nothing from it. This is VERY GOOD Netflix television. The first act especially is non-stop crazy, stylish action in every way, plot, acting, shot-framing, action scenes and lots of girls.

I did like Parasite Gray and the Netflix filmed version of Avatar Air Bender. I could NOT get thru Netflix One Piece. I recognize the new One Piece has a ton of talent behind and on the screen.

When I put on my film critic hat, there is one big problem these anime-to-film adaptations struggle with. Their source material is from comics which came out 1985-1995. If nothing else, this means these shows have little to no relevance to the world of the 2020s, For example the cos-play (costume dress up) convention scene seems a bit dated; and yet, the expressions of the extras and how the scene plays out dramatically is wonderful--unless you already saw it in the comics and in the anime.

Netflix's City Hunter takes DNA from Jame Bond, comic books, anime, and other 20th century pop culture. Fortunately as in the best of Netflix's anime-to-film adaptations, the commitment behind and on the screen is 100%. In film dedication counts for much. As you undoubtedly expect, this is more well-produced, mindless, fun distraction.

If you know City Hunter, watch the movie. You won't regret it. The casting is great and it is a true joy to watch an animation come to live. Better than One Piece live action, which was superb.

If you don't know the anime, watch a few episodes first, before you get on the movie. The artwork, soundtrack of the first seasons and movies, is like a stepping stone of what made anime today. This show was along the time of Ranma 1/2, Saint Seya, and all that other good stuff.

I collected all the manga and cd's in the 90's and 00's, big fan of the show. Now in my 40's I just enjoy watching an amazing live action translation that does the show justice.