3/5 stars
Since its launch in 1985, Tsukasa Hojo’s hit manga series City Hunter has been adapted into a number of different mediums around the world.
Now Netflix throws its hat into the ring, producing a new feature film starring Ryohei Suzuki (Egoist) as the eponymous action hero City Hunter.
Fans of the franchise will recognise a number of familiar elements, as the storyline details the origins of Ryo’s partnership with Kaori (Misato Morita) following the tragic fate of his previous colleague, Hideyuki (Masanobu Ando), while sending them on a new adventure.
Ryo and Hideyuki are hired to find Kurumi (Asuka Hanamura), a popular online cosplayer, but when they track her down they discover that she has been infected with a serum that sends her into a violent, super-powered frenzy.
During the melee, Hideyuki is inadvertently killed, and with his dying breath, begs his partner to watch over his adopted younger sister, Kaori. Only too eager to get involved and find those responsible for her brother’s death, Kaori and Ryo team up, only for their investigation to uncover a sinister plot with far-reaching diabolical consequences.
The character of Ryo Saeba may be rather off-putting to modern audiences unfamiliar with the source material. In addition to being a crack-shot marksman and accomplished detective, his primary motivation is to leer over young, buxom women who give him cause to scream “Mokkori!” in exaggerated sexual ecstasy.
To label the character juvenile and inappropriate would be to dismiss the entire property outright. He is who he is, a product of his time, and fortunately director Yuichi Sato ensures that everyone around him is appropriately disapproving of his behaviour, whenever it rears its head – which, admittedly, is a lot.
Suzuki goes all-in with his frenetic and physical performance, and audiences willing to embrace Ryo’s adolescent antics will find a commendably polished action adventure, brimming with slickly executed set pieces and broad, yet effective, humour.
Accessible and endlessly energetic, City Hunter should hit the target for fans and first-timers alike.
City Hunter will start streaming on Netflix on April 25.