City Hunter

Granted, I've never watched the animated series upon which this 2024 movie is based, so I have no idea how true the movie is to the source material. Nor do I know whether or not you need to have watched the series in order to fully appreciate this 2024 movie from director Yûichi Satô.

Regardless, when I happened to stumble upon "Shiti Hanta" (aka "City Hunter") by random chance here in 2024, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch it. I mean, given my love of the Asian cinema and this being a Japanese action comedy, of course I was interested in watching it.

Writers Tsukasa Hôjô and Tatsuro Mishima managed to put together an enjoyable and entertaining script and storyline. And I was definitely adequately entertained throughout the course of the 102 minutes that the movie ran for. And director Yûichi Satô managed to present a movie that definitely felt like it was spawned of Anime, given the characters, mannerisms, dialogues, etc. So if you enjoy Anime and live-action renderings of Anime movies and series, then you're in for a treat here.

The character gallery in "Shiti Hanta" was good, and there were some very interesting characters. And I have to say that the writers did good jobs on fleshing out the characters and making them distinguishable and memorable on the screen. The character gallery in the movie really added a lot of flavor to the movie.

I have seen actor Ryohei Suzuki and actress Misato Morita somewhere before, I just can't put my finger on where. I have to say that the acting performances in the movie were good, and they definitely had a talented ensemble of actors and actresses.

"Shiti Hanta" looked great, and there is a lot of visual treats to take in throughout the course of the movie. Thumbs up to the cinematography and the wardrobe department that worked on the movie; they really did phenomenal jobs.

There is also a good amount of action throughout the course of the movie, and it was filmed in a very energetic and dynamic way, making it feel like the audience is right there along the actors and actresses on the screen. The acting sequences looked great and added a lot to the overall impression of the movie.

I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of this movie, and it is definitely a movie that is well-worth sitting down and checking out if you enjoy Japanese cinema and Anime.

My rating of "Shiti Hanta" lands on a six out of ten stars.

The 2024 Japanese live-action City Hunter movie is a triumph, setting a new standard for adapting beloved franchises. Masterfully balancing comedy, heart-pounding action, and nuanced character development, it captures the essence of the original manga and anime while feeling fresh and modern. The lead actors embody Ryo and Kaori with uncanny precision, their chemistry electric. Stunning cinematography and inventive direction elevate even the most outlandish scenes. In comparison, the 1993 Jackie Chan film feels like a pale imitation. This City Hunter adaptation is an absolute must-see, a love letter to fans that will also win over newcomers. It's the gold standard for bringing treasured stories to life on the big screen.

Good adaptation from Manga "City Hunter" form early 90'. I'm a fan of this manga and anime so I can say this movie is quite good for fans and new viewers. Acters are very good acting. I can believe that he is Saeba Ryo and another actress as Kaori from their serious and naugthy parts. The action part is vey exciting as his shooting skills is so cool! Also the music, they rearrange "Getwild" and "Foot Steps" from original anime and put into this movie too. I can see all details they added in this movie and it made me feel so happy to see it back to live again.

Meanwhile, I cut 2 points from story part that not correct from the canon.

City Hunter came out 40 years ago when my parents were young. When I told them that there is a new City Hunter movie just came out and they were really excited. We watched it together last night and man it did not disappoint! My family, 4 of us watched it together and we absolutely love it! It really perfectly restores the feeling of Japan's Bubble Economy era in the manga, the feeling of decadence at the end of the century, the fashion, the prosperity, the feasting, and the feeling of a modern metropolis where people are drunk and lavish. Ryohei Suzuki definitely fits the role and he did a perfect job. His fighting scenes are superb. His figure and muscles, his movements, and postures, switching guns and ammunition scenes, everything has perfectly restores from the manga. The only thing is, because it is only a 1 hour 40 minutes movie, there are a lot of background stories cannot be fitted into this movie. I just hope that there will be a City Hunter 2 coming. But even so, for younger generations who have not seen the manga or watch the anime or have not heard of City Hunter before, they still will not be disappoint by this movie.

I first started watching this anime in my early 20s, and it became the 'go-to-anime' for me and my siblings. Comprising of humour, action and great music, the anime continued to be great to watch even these days. This movie, captured the essence of the anime. They didn't try to change it much from what we all know aboy Ryo (a perv), and surpasses Jackie Chan's ridiculous, yet funny version of the great 'City Hunter'. If Netflix is pursuing anime-live action remakes, then this is definitely a model for the upcoming remakes - stick to what we love about the show and try to keep it as close as possible to the anime/manga. Great watch! 8/10.