When it wants to be, City Hunter is a fun neon-lit buddy cop comedy that giddily and at times gorily takes us through the seedy underbelly of Tokyo. Leading man Ryo is charismatic, the perfect blend of cool and comedic, while leading woman Kaori is just as adept and charming. The film is also as fast-paced and seamless as you’d want any action-packed movie to be. The only problem City Hunter has is that, despite being a modern adaptation of the iconic ‘80s manga, it’s still stuck in a different century. The very first scene we get is that of Ryo ogling a woman’s breasts, which pretty much dictates the tone of the rest of the film. It’s all horniness and objectification—endless jokes at the expense of its female characters—which is a shame since Kaori is a badass lead. I’m not suggesting Ryo should magically transform into a woke and respectable man, scrubbed of all personality, just that the filmmakers should retain a smidge of control and refrain from fully surrendering to the character’s POV.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Akira Kamiya, Ami201, Asuka Hanamura, Ayame Misaki, Chase Kim, Fumino Kimura, Isao Hashizume, Masanobu Ando, Misato Morita, Moemi Katayama, Ryohei Suzuki, Stephanie Wong, Takaya Sakoda, Tetta Sugimoto, Yuuki Luna
Director: Yuichi Satoh
Rating: R
