Reportedly, since Armour of God 2 was taking too long to complete, Jackie Chan decided to star in another movie that wouldn’t take long to film. Doing so would allow him to star in more movies per year and would thus help him remain current. Therefor, City Hunter was created, just in time for Chinese New Year. City Hunter was a popular manga in Japan and Jackie Chan decided to play the character to appease his Japanese fan base. City Hunter was also directed by Wong Jing, mainly popular for directing over the top comedies. Sadly, Jackie and Wong Jing’s styles didn’t mix well, and Jackie often expresses his disfavor towards the finished film.
Jackie Chan stars as the title character, City Hunter, a private detective who’s hired to find the missing daughter of a Japanese businessman. Meanwhile, his secretary, Kaori (Joey Wong), deserts City Hunter and he ends up following her on a cruise line. There he runs into the Japanese businessman’s daughter, Kiyoko (Kumiko Goto), but concurrently, the cruise is taken over by terrorists led by MacDonald (Richard Norton).
Jackie Chan stars as the title character, City Hunter, a private detective who’s hired to find the missing daughter of a Japanese businessman. Meanwhile, his secretary, Kaori (Joey Wong), deserts City Hunter and he ends up following her on a cruise line. There he runs into the Japanese businessman’s daughter, Kiyoko (Kumiko Goto), but concurrently, the cruise is taken over by terrorists led by MacDonald (Richard Norton).
Fans seem to be split about City Hunter. Some love it, some hate it, and many are just indifferent about it. Thankfully, I’m one of those people who love it, but I won’t be the first person to say it’s not a masterpiece. The comedy is broad and immature in true Wong Jing fashion. Wong Jing’s style definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. A lot of his comedic style is very cartoony and ludicrous. But I happen to like that kinda stuff.
There are a few characters that might make people irritated. In particular, Rocky (Tan Lap Man), Eric Kot’s character, and Jan Lam’s character have questionably funny scenes. Tan Lap Man’s acting is overstated in an almost annoying way (and why does he want to go out with his cousin?), but his screentime is limited. The Softhard duo (Eric Kot and Jan Lam) also have very obnoxious voices and they don’t really add anything to the movie except for a cringe worthy musical number. The scene in which they perform “Gala Gala Happy” goes on for about three minutes. I actually find ironic enjoyment out of that scene because of how stupid it is, but I don’t mind skipping it any time I rewatch this movie.
There are a few characters that might make people irritated. In particular, Rocky (Tan Lap Man), Eric Kot’s character, and Jan Lam’s character have questionably funny scenes. Tan Lap Man’s acting is overstated in an almost annoying way (and why does he want to go out with his cousin?), but his screentime is limited. The Softhard duo (Eric Kot and Jan Lam) also have very obnoxious voices and they don’t really add anything to the movie except for a cringe worthy musical number. The scene in which they perform “Gala Gala Happy” goes on for about three minutes. I actually find ironic enjoyment out of that scene because of how stupid it is, but I don’t mind skipping it any time I rewatch this movie.
Despite the occasional comedic misfires, I still think this movie is downright hilarious at times. The main reason why I like this movie so much is because of Jackie Chan’s star turn as the self-obsessed, overconfident City Hunter. I always get a big laugh out of his performance. His comedic timing is on point and despite his apparent clashes with Wong Jing, he probably gives the most lively performance of the entire film. It’s very much like the character that Fu Sheng played in Hong Kong Playboys (which was also directed by Wong Jing). There’s a very colorful cast of characters in the mix too including Leon Lai as Gundam and Chingmy Yau as Saeko.
As expected from any Jackie Chan movie from the 90’s, the action is pretty spectacular. The fight scenes that involve hand-to-hand combat were choreographed by Jackie Chan while the wire effects were choreographed by wire-fu maestro, Ching Siu Tung. The first major fight scene features Jackie Chan taking on two extremely tall black men in a movie theater. There’s also two fights with Gary Daniels; One of which is hand-to-hand combat while the other is the extravagant Street Fighter spoof. Probably my favorite set piece is the finale in the casino between Richard Norton and Jackie Chan. It’s hilarious, the choreography is great, and it’s even kinda exciting.
As expected from any Jackie Chan movie from the 90’s, the action is pretty spectacular. The fight scenes that involve hand-to-hand combat were choreographed by Jackie Chan while the wire effects were choreographed by wire-fu maestro, Ching Siu Tung. The first major fight scene features Jackie Chan taking on two extremely tall black men in a movie theater. There’s also two fights with Gary Daniels; One of which is hand-to-hand combat while the other is the extravagant Street Fighter spoof. Probably my favorite set piece is the finale in the casino between Richard Norton and Jackie Chan. It’s hilarious, the choreography is great, and it’s even kinda exciting.
City Hunter is definitely not for everyone. The comedy is very broad and stupid, but that’s kinda why I like it. Jackie Chan turns in a fantastic performance as City Hunter and the action is very good. Also, the soundtrack suits this movie perfectly. But still, many people might find the absurd comedic antics in this movie hilarious while others might find them insufferable. It really depends how much you enjoy Wong Jing’s style. If you like his other 90’s comedies, you’ll definitely have fun watching City Hunter. And vice-versa.
Images from Isle of Cinema and HK Cinemagic
*Eric Kot and Jan Lam also had an out-of-nowhere musical number in A Tale From the East, which also stars Joey Wong, but that scene in the A Tale From the East is only a minute long and the song is less ear-grating. Probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen on the big screen.
*Wong Jing had such a bad time working with Jackie Chan that he made a not-so-subtle parody of him in the highly entertaining 1995 movie, High Risk which features Jacky Cheung as Frankie Lone.
Images from Isle of Cinema and HK Cinemagic
*Eric Kot and Jan Lam also had an out-of-nowhere musical number in A Tale From the East, which also stars Joey Wong, but that scene in the A Tale From the East is only a minute long and the song is less ear-grating. Probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen on the big screen.
*Wong Jing had such a bad time working with Jackie Chan that he made a not-so-subtle parody of him in the highly entertaining 1995 movie, High Risk which features Jacky Cheung as Frankie Lone.