REVIEW: ‘City Hunter’ Does Action-Comedy Right

Netflix Original film City Hunter adapts the legendary manga City Hunter by mangaka Tsukasa Hojo. The film proves again that live-action adaptations work when the heart of the source material is honored. In the film, we follow Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki), the number one “sweeper” of the Underworld. Fun and action-packed, Saeba pummels and investigates his way through modern-day Shinjuku with his best friend’s sister, Kaori Makimura (Misato Morita).

If the title seems familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time the manga has gotten the live-action treatment. The first came in 1993, with Jackie Chan taking on the role of Ryo Saeba and then again for a 2011 K-Drama series where Lee Min-ho played a Korean version of Saeba, Lee Yun-Seong.

More recently, City Hunter was adapted into a French live-action in 2018 with Philippe Lacheau playing Nicky Larson (who is pretty much Saeba). This manga has a long history, and director Yuichi Satoh’s take on the series, with a screenplay by Tatsuro Mishima, is an absolute standout. This is hard to do when you’re up against the action great Jackie Chan.

After receiving a cryptic message, Saeba and Hideyuki, known as the “City Hunter,” set out to search for Kurumi, a famous cosplayer. When Hideyuki is tragically killed during the investigation, his sister Kaori demands answers about her brother’s death, and she won’t stop until she has them.

The plot thickens quickly when “Angel Dust” enters the story, a drug at the heart of the violent incidents plaguing Shinjuku. The twist? Kurumi is key to unlocking the truth behind it. With a clue to the answer, Saeba and Makimura embark on a quest to uncover the truth shrouding Hideyuki’s death. Along the way, they make a few stops at hostess bars.

Action Director Takashi Tanimoto’s fight choreography is absolutely stunning. Each fight has a weight that makes it feel intense. However, that’s balanced against a slapstick comedy that softens the mood without softening any blows. While the hand-to-hand combat in City Hunter is absolutely top-notch, it’s the gun work that stands out. Sure, these bullet physics may not be real, but they look really good and pack a large punch.

Add the superhuman strength injections, and the action in City Hunter pushes the boundaries of hard-action fight sequences and comedy. While nothing gets too brutal, the film doesn’t hold its punches when it comes to intricate fight sequences or when it shows the damage caused by the tiny bombs in the bad guys’ heads. But the camera expertly pans away without disrupting the scene’s tension, allowing it to attain a lower rating.

In the film’s third act, we see Saeba and Makimura storming a facility. We see a firefight that also weaves in hand-to-hand combat. Humorously, Saeba calls for more guns as Makimura tosses them his way, and the entire sequence plays out like one long buddy cop action extravaganza that solidifies City Hunter as an actioner.

As for characters, Saeba is a womanizing playboy, but he’s also not a bad guy. He’s attractive, can sing and dance, and knows how to use a gun. His high school humor may wear slightly thin at times, but how Ryohei Suzuki delivers it is somehow endearing—for me, at least.

This, coupled with the fact that Saeba’s own body and its attractiveness are the butt of many jokes, makes it all even out. The comedy he brings and the eccentricity he lives in are essential to crafting a dynamic action-comedy story in City Hunter. 

With action at its core and enough adolescent boob humor to either make you cringe or laugh, City Hunter also pulls off a pretty emotional story. While Saeba carries the action in the film, Makimura is its heart. She brings out the best in Saeba but isn’t related to only being in the story to benefit him. Instead, Makimura is able to highlight the complex dynamic of being a sibling who wants to take care of her family but has no way to do so.

With her brother a constant delinquent, she carries the guilt of being unable to save him with her. It’s a vulnerability that carries throughout the film as Saeba and her get closer. But instead of further sheltering Makimura, Saeba lets her step into the fray. A choice that does a lot to give Makimura agency in her part of the story.

City Hunter thrives on its absurdity. Sure, Ryo Saeba isn’t the most likable protagonist, but he is endlessly charismatic (especially when his shirt is off). Suzuki is a phenomenal comedic actor and also a clear action star. No matter what scene he is in, Saeba steals it all. This is his film.

If you’re even slightly against womanizer characters, this might not be for you. But if you’re all in on a seemingly horrible guy with a real heart of gold and badass action sequences, then City Hunter is ace.

City Hunter is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.