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City Hunter (live action)
Encyclopedia
City Hunter is a 1993
Hong Kong
martial arts
action
comedy film
based on the Japanese manga
of the same name
. It was directed by Wong Jing
, produced by Paragon Films and filmed by Golden Way Films Co. Ltd. The film starred an international cast that included Hong Kong
superstar
Jackie Chan
as Ryo Saeba a.k.a. City Hunter.
of a prominent Japanese newspaper. Kaori leaves in the middle of the search, unhappy with the way Ryo ignores her romantic feelings for him and flirts with other woman. Ryo finds Shizuko at a skateboarding park and a chase ensues, but she escapes in disguise.
Shizuko boards a luxury cruise liner, the Fuji Maru, with the ticket she found in the suit she stole. Kaori also boards the ship with her lustful cousin while Ryo sneaks inside to follow her. A terrorist gang led by Donald Mac have plans to hijack it and take the rich passengers hostage with Police Officer Saeko Nogami and her buxom sidekick in pursuit.
Staying next door from each other, Shizuko overhears Donald's plan. Donald discovers her and sends one of his men to kill her, but she knocks him out and escapes. She then bumps into the ship's first officer, who takes her to the boiler room and reveals himself as a terrorist. When he attempts to silence Shizuko, Ryo, who had been staying there since his encounter with Kaori and her cousin at the swimming pool, saves her. When Donald's gang arrive, the officer is killed in the shootout while Ryo and Shizuko escape into the movie theater, where Game of Death
is being shown. To beat two towering opponents, Ryo interprets Bruce Lee
's techniques from the film.
At the ship's casino, a party hosted by the captain is interrupted when Donald kills the captain and terrorizes the partygoers, including Saeko and her sidekick. After robbing them of their valuables, he entices the rich patrons into a sadistic card game. A few opponents are quickly disposed of until Kao Ta, a skilled card gamer who uses his cards as shurikens, joins in. When Donald is distracted by seeing Ryo and Shizuko not far away, Ta and Saeko put an end to his game.
Donald's henchman Kim kidnaps Kaori and takes her to his room. When Ryu bursts in, both men fight before Donald and his men interrupt, capturing Ryo in the process. Kaori escapes, bumping into Shizuko, Saeko, and the rest of the main characters. They take down a gay terrorist trying to seduce Kaori's cousin and prepare to save Ryo.
The next day, Ryo is stood before a firing squad. Shizuko, Saeko, and her sidekick interrupt the planned execution, but are forced to separate by Donald's gang. Shizuko uses her gymnastic skills to defeat one henchman, Saeko saves Ta after he runs out of cards in a fight with several terrorists, and her sidekick falls of a ledge and is left unconscious. Ryu goes into the gaming parlor
with his hands still tied, but is thrown into a Street Fighter II
arcade game
by Kim and suffers an electric shock
. This causes him to hallucinate and think Kim is Ken from the game. After two failed attempts, Ryo defeats him as Chun-Li
.
As a Taiwan
ese counter-terrorism unit, the "Thunderbolts Squad", arrives and take his men out, Donald blows up bombs he had set up all over the ship and takes Kaori hostage at the casino. When Ryo and Saeko arrive, he injures both women and starts a long fight with Ryo. Donald is thrown into the stage and dies when he accidentally steps on his remote, setting off the bombs behind the T.V. panels.
Ryo and Kaori find Shizuko and return her to her father. He speaks to Ryo privately, seeing him as a future husband to Shizuko. Listening to their conversation, Kaori leaves in anger, unaware that Ryo has declined the man's offer. Ryo finds her and tries to apologize with a rose, but then Saeko drives up and flirts with him. He gives her the rose instead and furious, Kaori smashes him through the air with a hammer. Ryo wakes up in his recurring dream with beautiful women at the pool.
at Europe
in Region 2
.
Two years later, Hong Kong Legends DVD were released on December 29, 2003 at 3 disc set Manga in Motion including two classic martial arts films they were: Story of Ricky
and Dragon from Russia
.
Hong Kong films of 1993
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1993:.-1993:-External links:**Hong Kong films of 1993 at...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
based on the Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
of the same name
City Hunter
is a hardboiled manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, published by Shueisha in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. The manga was adapted into an animated television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987...
. It was directed by Wong Jing
Wong Jing
Wong Jing is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker possessed of strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he is often cited as the most consistently successful filmmaker , in commercial terms, in the Hong Kong cinema of the last...
, produced by Paragon Films and filmed by Golden Way Films Co. Ltd. The film starred an international cast that included Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
as Ryo Saeba a.k.a. City Hunter.
Plot
Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura are assigned to locate Shizuko Imumura, the runaway daughter of the CEOChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of a prominent Japanese newspaper. Kaori leaves in the middle of the search, unhappy with the way Ryo ignores her romantic feelings for him and flirts with other woman. Ryo finds Shizuko at a skateboarding park and a chase ensues, but she escapes in disguise.
Shizuko boards a luxury cruise liner, the Fuji Maru, with the ticket she found in the suit she stole. Kaori also boards the ship with her lustful cousin while Ryo sneaks inside to follow her. A terrorist gang led by Donald Mac have plans to hijack it and take the rich passengers hostage with Police Officer Saeko Nogami and her buxom sidekick in pursuit.
Staying next door from each other, Shizuko overhears Donald's plan. Donald discovers her and sends one of his men to kill her, but she knocks him out and escapes. She then bumps into the ship's first officer, who takes her to the boiler room and reveals himself as a terrorist. When he attempts to silence Shizuko, Ryo, who had been staying there since his encounter with Kaori and her cousin at the swimming pool, saves her. When Donald's gang arrive, the officer is killed in the shootout while Ryo and Shizuko escape into the movie theater, where Game of Death
Game of Death
The Game of Death is a 1972 film starring Bruce Lee. It was almost the last film Bruce Lee had planned to be the demonstration piece of his martial art Jeet Kune Do. Over 100 minutes of footage was shot before his death, some of which was later misplaced in the Golden Harvest archives...
is being shown. To beat two towering opponents, Ryo interprets Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
's techniques from the film.
At the ship's casino, a party hosted by the captain is interrupted when Donald kills the captain and terrorizes the partygoers, including Saeko and her sidekick. After robbing them of their valuables, he entices the rich patrons into a sadistic card game. A few opponents are quickly disposed of until Kao Ta, a skilled card gamer who uses his cards as shurikens, joins in. When Donald is distracted by seeing Ryo and Shizuko not far away, Ta and Saeko put an end to his game.
Donald's henchman Kim kidnaps Kaori and takes her to his room. When Ryu bursts in, both men fight before Donald and his men interrupt, capturing Ryo in the process. Kaori escapes, bumping into Shizuko, Saeko, and the rest of the main characters. They take down a gay terrorist trying to seduce Kaori's cousin and prepare to save Ryo.
The next day, Ryo is stood before a firing squad. Shizuko, Saeko, and her sidekick interrupt the planned execution, but are forced to separate by Donald's gang. Shizuko uses her gymnastic skills to defeat one henchman, Saeko saves Ta after he runs out of cards in a fight with several terrorists, and her sidekick falls of a ledge and is left unconscious. Ryu goes into the gaming parlor
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
with his hands still tied, but is thrown into a Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
by Kim and suffers an electric shock
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
. This causes him to hallucinate and think Kim is Ken from the game. After two failed attempts, Ryo defeats him as Chun-Li
Chun-Li
is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games....
.
As a Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese counter-terrorism unit, the "Thunderbolts Squad", arrives and take his men out, Donald blows up bombs he had set up all over the ship and takes Kaori hostage at the casino. When Ryo and Saeko arrive, he injures both women and starts a long fight with Ryo. Donald is thrown into the stage and dies when he accidentally steps on his remote, setting off the bombs behind the T.V. panels.
Ryo and Kaori find Shizuko and return her to her father. He speaks to Ryo privately, seeing him as a future husband to Shizuko. Listening to their conversation, Kaori leaves in anger, unaware that Ryo has declined the man's offer. Ryo finds her and tries to apologize with a rose, but then Saeko drives up and flirts with him. He gives her the rose instead and furious, Kaori smashes him through the air with a hammer. Ryo wakes up in his recurring dream with beautiful women at the pool.
Production notes
- The name of the Street Fighter character was changed from "E. Honda" to "E. Honde". This was because Chan has a contract with the MitsubishiMitsubishiThe Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
car company, and HondaHondais a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
is the name of a rival company. - The Street Fighter sequence was recorded in real time, with wirework and special effects enhancing the action, to match it with the arcade fighting game, as can be seen in the special features of some dvd releases of the film and they used the SNES Music instead of the CPS1 Music.
- After City Hunter's release, Chan not only disowned the film, but attacked Wong personally in the press. In his subsequent movie High Risk, Wong struck back by modeling a character after Chan, insinuating that Chan was actually a boozing womanizer and a fraud who didn't really do his own stunts after all.
- There were time constraints on the preparation of the film, in order to release it in time for Chinese New Year release. This meant that during some of the shots of Richard Norton, during his final fight scene with Chan, he was doubled by stunt performer MarsMars (actor)Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:...
. - After the initial shooting of the sequence by the ship's swimming pool, people working on it felt that the women in the background of the scene were not pretty enough. Director Wong Jing agreed and moved filming of the sequence to Ya Ma Tai Sports Recreation Centre.
- The skatepark at the beginning of the film was filmed in Victoria Park, Hong KongVictoria Park, Hong KongVictoria Park is a public park in Hong Kong, named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It is located in Causeway Bay, on the north of Hong Kong Island, between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau MTR stations...
. During the skateboarding sequence in the downhill chase scene, Chan twisting his ankle as he jumped onto a skateboard. Following the injury, pro skateboarder Rick Ibaseta donned a Chan lookalike costume and performed the remainder of the scene. - The gambling area filled with televisions and a dancefloor was shot in the Shaw Brothers Studio.
DVD release date
On April 23, 2001, DVD was released in Hong Kong LegendsHong Kong Legends
Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007...
at Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in Region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
.
Two years later, Hong Kong Legends DVD were released on December 29, 2003 at 3 disc set Manga in Motion including two classic martial arts films they were: Story of Ricky
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is a 1991 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Lam Nai-choi, and based on the Japanese manga Riki-Oh by Masahiko Takajo and Saruwatari Tetsuya...
and Dragon from Russia
Dragon from Russia
Dragon from Russia is a 1990 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Clarence Fok and based on the Japanese manga Crying Freeman and written by Kazuo Koike and Ryoichi Ikegami, and also produced by Dean Shek, and starring Sam Hui, Maggie Cheung, Nina Li Chi, Carrie Ng, Loletta Lee and Dean...
.
Cast
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
- Ryo Saeba /City Hunter (Ryu Saeba on UK dub and HKL release) - Joey WongJoey WongJoey Wong is a Hong Kong based Taiwanese-born actress.-Biography:Wong was born on January 31, 1967 and raised in Taipei and also received a secondary school education there. She was enrolled in the drama course of Kuo Kwan Arts School...
- Kaori Makimura/Carrie - Chingmy YauChingmy YauChingmy Yau is a Hong Kong actress who no longer takes part in films although she is not formally retired.Yau entered the Hong Kong film industry after competing in the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant....
- Saeko Nogami/Anna - Richard Norton - Col. Donald "Don Mac" MacDonald
- Michael WongMichael Wong (actor)Michael Fitzgerald Wong aka Wong Man-Tak is a Chinese-American and a Hong Kong based actor, director, singer and producer.He is fluent in English, but not so in Chinese, which is reflected in many of the characters he has portrayed. His most notable film is the 1998 film Beast Cops which won a...
- Hideyuki Makimura - Gary DanielsGary DanielsGary Edward Daniels is a British kickboxer and martial arts actor. Daniels appears mostly in action-oriented B-movies. Daniels has been in over 50 films since his start as an extra in an episode of the 1980s television series Miami Vice. He is best known for playing Kenshiro in the live-action...
- Kim/MacDonald's main henchman - Kumiko Goto - Shizuko Imumura (Kiyoko on UK dub and HKL release)
- Leon LaiLeon LaiLeon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...
- Kao Ta/Gundam - Eric KotEric KotEric Kot Man Fai is a Hong Kong celebrity in the Chinese hip hop industry. As a popular MC/pop singer/actor who studied in California and is the youngest of three brothers...
- DJ Hard - Tan Lap-Man - Rocky
- Jan Lam Hoi-FungJan LambJan Lamb Hoi Fong is a DJ, pop singer, actor in Hong Kong. Jan is the elder brother of actor/DJ/game host Jerry and younger brother of singer and radio personality Sandy...
- DJ Soft - Vincent Laporte - Vincent
- Mike Abbott - Mike
- Kenzo Hagiwara - Koji Imamura
- Ken LoKen LoKen Low Wai-kwong is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and a ex-member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.-Early life:...
- Chen Ta-Wen (as Wai-kwong Lo) - Mang Hoi - Room Service Henchman
- Louis Roth
See also
- City HunterCity Hunteris a hardboiled manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, published by Shueisha in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. The manga was adapted into an animated television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987...
- the original manga - Jackie Chan filmography
- List of Hong Kong films