City Hunter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

City Hunter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 16, 2018

Wong Jing's "City Hunter" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film; large gallery of cast and crew interviews; outtakes; and more. The release also arrives with a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, as well as technical credits. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

As good as real, maybe even better

There are plenty of strong opinions about Jackie Chan and the quality of his work that are floating around, so it should be fair that I offer one as well. Here it is: I think that his best period ended right around the early ‘90s, with the arrival of Supercop and City Hunter. This isn’t to imply that all of the films that he did after that were major misfires -- the financial success of blockbusters like Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2 prove quite definitively that Chan was still a remarkable entertainer -- but rather point out that they gradually lost the unbridled comic energy and kitschy exotic Hong Kong flavor that made ‘80s gems like Armor of God, Project A, and Dragons Forever so special. But the decline was probably inevitable because Chan became too big to contain in Hong Kong, and with his transition to much bigger international projects he had to find new ways to appeal to more diverse crowds. It is how international success works -- it alters a lot of things, and very rarely for the better. (Those of you who remain unconvinced are encouraged to spend some time studying the evolution of Chow Yun Fat’s work, which is practically identical).

In City Hunter, Chan plays a flirty private detective named Ryo Saeba who is hired to locate the young and rebellious daughter of a prominent publisher who has disappeared without a trace. The detective goes to work and while following his instincts rather than any credible leads bumps into Shizuko (Kumiko Goto) at a popular skateboard park. However, much to Ryo’s amusement, the girl engages him in a game of cat-and-mouse and eventually dumps him at a large shopping mall. The hunter and his prey meet again on a large cruise ship where the super rich are doing their best to entertain each other, while a gang of highly skilled terrorists are getting ready to spoil the festivities and then demand that they are paid big if their hostages are to walk away unharmed. Ryo again goes to work, but this time while being monitored by his increasingly frustrated assistant, Carrie (Joey Wang), and with the terrorists repeatedly forcing him to alter his ‘perfect strategy’.

The entire film overflows with that classic late ‘80s/early '90s kitsch that so many people crave again. Indeed, there is enough over-the-top action with Chan right in the middle of it to make you feel dizzy, great pop tunes and even a few stunningly choreographed music numbers that instantly induce nostalgia, and a seemingly endless avalanche of spectacular neon lights and colors that once again make a ton of goofy outfits look legit. If you remember the film, you know exactly what I mean. If you don’t or are completely unfamiliar with it, you have to believe me -- viewing it is like being served a giant bowl of exotic ice cream flavors you once loved but forgot existed and then shamelessly indulging in them.

There are some interesting cameos as well. A very fit and sweaty Gary Daniels plays a bad henchman who does a couple of wild stretches that were almost certainly meant to send a message that he could cover for Jean-Claude Van Damme if there ever was a time when the Belgian struggled with a cocaine headache. Leon Lai, who will soon after play the killer in Wong Kar-Wai’s classic Fallen Angels, has a part. Perhaps predictably, there is a spot in the film for the incredibly prolific but underrated Michael Wong, the star of such high-octane thrillers as Dante Lam and Gordon Chan’s Beast Cops and Wong Jing’s Return to a Better Tomorrow, as well.

*This release features newly translated English subtitles for the big “Gala Gala Happy” sequence, which does a little bit of measured mocking. However, the producers of the release have left a note clarifying that they prefer that the film is seen without them.

City Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wong Jing's City Hunter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a marvelous new 2K remaster, the best that I have seen done for an early Jackie Chan film. It really makes revisiting City Hunter quite the special experience. (Ironically, exactly the opposite is true about the recent 4K restorations of Police Story & Police Story 2).

The entire film looks remarkably healthy and exceptionally vibrant. Depth is excellent as well, with both close-ups and wider panoramic shots boasting delineation and balance. I usually mention fluidity, and this particular remaster looks as good as I could have hoped it would on a bigger screen. To be honest, I would take this type of presentation any day over 4K remasters like the ones that are mentioned above. The best news here is that the entire film was graded by a person that knew exactly how to preserve its native color values. Quite predictably, the outdoor and indoor footage -- which features plenty of neon and filtered light -- looks stunning (see screencaptures #4, 11 and 12). Image stability is excellent. There are no damage marks, cuts, stains, burn marks, or any other annoying age-related imperfections. Very, very impressive. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

City Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese: LPCM 1.0, Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 (Stereo), Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), and English: LPCM Mono. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. Also, there you are given the option to see the "Gala Gala Happy" sequence with English subtitles.

I started viewing the film with the Cantonese Mono track, but experimented with the Cantonese Stereo track and actually finished my viewing with it. I liked it a lot. My guess is that both tracks were fully remixed because clarity, depth, and stability are outstanding. I can imagine a fan of the film having any issues with them.

City Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers -
  
  1. Original theatrical trailer for City Hunter. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).
  2. Original Hong Kong DVD trailer. In English. (2 min).

• Japanese Ending Credits - fully restored. With music. (4 min).

• Outtakes Montage - a collection of vintage of hilarious and often very painful outtakes. With music. (5 min).

• Outtakes Music Video - (3 min).

• Interviews - a collection of vintage interviews with cast and crew members discussing their involvement with City Hunter as well as different phases of its conception and production process.
  
  1. Archival interview with Jackie Chan. Part One. In English. (11 min).
  2. Archival interview with Jackie Chan. Part Two. In English. (4 min).
  3. Interview with director Wong Jing. In English. (8 min).
  4. Interview with stuntman Rocky Lai. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (11 min).
  5. Interview with Richard Norton. In English. (16 min).
  6. Interview with Gary Daniels. In English. (30 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, as well as technical credits.

City Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In an ideal world, the people that completed the 2K restoration of City Hunter should be placed in charge with the restorations of all early Jackie Chan films. Why? Because they clearly know what they are looking at, and because they clearly understand what their work should accomplish -- which is, preserve the native qualities that a film had when it was completed by its creators. I am sorry to say it, but this appears to be a very elusive concept amongst the people at L'immagine Ritrovata that worked on the recent 4K restorations of Police Story & Police Story 2, and what is very sad is that you don't have to be a restoration specialist to know that it is so. City Hunter overflows with that classic late '80s/early '90s kitsch that so many people crave again, so if you are one of them, hurry up and order your copy now. I guarantee you are in for an incredible treat. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.