After he loses his wife and unborn child in an accident caused by the selfish and thoughtless actions of a Hong Kong taxi driver, mild-mannered insurance salesman Kin (Anthony Chau-Sang Wong) wages a one-man war against the city's most corrupt and sleazy cab operators.
Directed by Herman Yau and starring Anthony Wong, Taxi Hunter wasn't what I was expecting: it's an exploitative vigilante thriller with plenty of violence, but it is nowhere near as mean-spirited or as graphic as the duo's more infamous Cat IIIs, The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome. Those checking the film out hoping for extreme content will no doubt be disappointed somewhat by the lack of intense gore and nihilism.
The film kicks off with a scene that is more akin to a heroic bloodshed movie or a Jackie Chan action flick, as gung ho cop Yu Kai-Chung and his partner tackle a gang of armed criminals. There's a shoot out and a car chase, with some crazy vehicular stunt work and plenty of squibs.
Chung is best friends with Kin, and their relationship forms the crux of the movie, as the cop goes undercover to try and catch the taxi driver killer, unaware that it is his pal who has been committing the crimes.
Kin's vigilante activities are definitely the film's most satisfying moments, his victims being despicable lowlifes fully deserving of some payback, especially the driver who attempts to rape his pretty passenger. One cannot completely condone Kin's actions, but it's easy to sympathise with him just a bit when his targets are such scumbags.
The inevitable ending sees Chung discovering Kin's secret and trying to catch him before he can commit any more murders. The final action scene is a lot of fun, with a high-speed car chase thought the streets of HK.
