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City Hunter - Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1993
Director: Wong Jing
Writers: Tsukasa Hôjô, Wong Jing
Cast: Jackie Chan, Joey Wang, Kumiko Goto, Chingmy Yau, Gary Daniels, Carol Wan, Leon Lai, Eric Kot, Jan Lamb, Richard Norton

Release Date: September 4th, 2018
Approximate running time: 99 Minutes 43 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, LPCM Stereo Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Mono English (Alternate English Dub)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

“Hired to track down Shizuko Imamura, the runaway daughter of a publishing tycoon, Ryo initially turns the job down… until he sees a picture of the missing woman! Ryo eventually finds her aboard a luxury cruise ship, but much to the annoyance of his exasperated assistant Carrie, Ryo seems more interested in catching Shizuko s attention than returning her safely to her father. When terrorists hijack the ship, Ryo must put his romantic feelings aside and swing into action to dispatch the bad guys and save the day.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Stunning 1080p presentation from a brand new 2K restoration."

City Hunter comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.7 GB

Feature: 33.1 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Colors look vibrant, flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid. That said, it should be noted that the image does not look as crisp during the video game fight scene.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, LPCM Stereo Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Mono English - alternate English dub)

This release comes with five audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a LPCM stereo mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and a LPCM mono mix in English (Alternate English Dub). You can’t go wrong with any of the audio mixes. They all sound clean, clear, and balanced. Also, when it comes to range, all of these audio mixes sound robust when they should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks and a second removable English subtitle track that translates the "Gala Gala Happy" sequence when watching the film in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Hong Kong DVD trailer (1 minute 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Japanese end credits (3 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), outtakes montage (4 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), outtakes music video (2 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an archival interview with Jackie Chan: Part One (10 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Part Two (3 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Wong Jing (7 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with stuntman and long-time member of Jackie Chan's stunt team, Rocky Lai (10 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Richard Norton (15 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Gary Daniels (29 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a limited edition O-Card (first pressing only), and a 36-page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Cruising for a Bruising: Jackie Chan, all at sea on City Hunter written by James Oliver, archival lobby cards, poster gallery and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

City Hunter was directed by Wong Jing, whose other notable films include God of Gamblers, Royal Tramp, High Risk, and The Last Tycoon.

There is a level of expectation that one has when watching a Jackie Chan film. And on the rare occasion when Jackie Chan has ventured outside of her comfort zone The result is a film that fails to connect with his die-hard fans. Case in point: City Hunter.

On the surface, though, City Hunter has many of the elements that have since become synonymous with Jackie Chan. It is a film that fans of Jackie Chan either enjoy or dislike. With most fans falling into the latter category.

After a failed first attempt at making movies in Hollywood, Jackie Chan, starting with Wheels on Meals, would embark on what is arguably the most successful period of his career. And in 1993, with City Hunter, he would once again venture outside of his comfort zone.

Though Jackie Chan’s films have always had slapstick humor, He had never tried to emulate a cartoon, that is, until he made City Hunter, a film that was based on a Japanese manga written by Tsukasa Hôjô. Needless to say, this style of humor is in direct contrast with Jackie Chan’s comedic strengths.

That being said, despite the shortcomings of Jackie Chan’s performance, From a production standpoint, City Hunter has more positives than negatives. Most notably, it has well-executed action set pieces.

Without a doubt, City Hunter’s strongest asset is its three female leads: Joey Wang (A Chinese Ghost Story) in the role of Carrie, Kumiko Goto in the role of Shizuko Imamura, and Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer) in the role of Saeko Nogami. These three characters give Jackie Chan’s character, Ryu Saeba, three distinctively different women to interact with. Another area where the three women excel is their comedic timing. Ultimately, City Hunter is a perfect blend of live-action manga and Jackie Chan’s persona.

City Hunter gets an excellent release from Eureka Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.