It’s quite hard to believe, but did you know that before Netflix’s 2024 proposal, there has never been a live-action adaptation of City Hunter by the Japanese? And yet, it is perfectly true. There was the Jackie Chan film in 1993, which was completely wacky and had nothing to do with the original work. I rewatched it with my adult eyes about ten years ago and I admit that it was crazy, bordering on Nawak. And then, we had to wait for Philippe Lacheau’s proposal in 2019 and for which I have great tenderness, because it was above all a successful adaptation of the French version by Nicky Larson from Club Dorothée, butchered at the time with their means at hand. The film also has a real fan base and I rewatched the film a few days ago just before the Netflix adaptation and it’s true that Lacheau had understood something and that it was something sincere , a film that comes from the heart. Personally I think it’s the most successful footage of the Fifi gang’s film. There have been other unofficial films that have taken up the City Hunter spirit, but they were projects that were far too obscure and went unnoticed even by those in the know. It was therefore Netflix which stuck to the project, with Yuichi Sato directing and Tatsuro Mishima writing, he who had already adapted Yu Yu Hakushu for Netflix a few months ago. Together, they managed to produce a successful film, far from perfect that’s for sure, and we’ll come back to the things that bothered me in a few minutes, but as a live-action adaptation, it It’s a great success, that’s undeniable. Above all, they succeeded in capturing the spirit of the manga and we see it from the first 10 minutes of the film.
Already, we find ourselves immersed in the heart of Tokyo, in the Shinjuku district, where the manga has always taken place and which we find for the first time in a real film. That alone gives you a context and then for people who have already been to Japan, it’s a constant visual pleasure to see Kabukicho filmed in this way, with its restaurants, its stalls, its labyrinthine mazes, its neon lights everywhere, its narrow streets, its wacky people… Shinjuku is the 4th character in the film after Ryo Saeba, Kaori and his brother Hideyuki Makimura. There is also a moment that I really like in the film, it is the chase with this overhead shot where the camera follows the protagonists in their races. Nothing innovative or exceptional, but its few shots still show that there is a desire to take the trouble in terms of staging. Something that we will often find in action scenes, especially the gunfight scene at the end of the film.
MOKKORI SHOW
So yes, these first 10 minutes set the tone of the film and what’s also great is that the film immediately opens up to the very crazy personality of Ryo Saeba. Yes, he’s a private detective who shoots Magnum like no other, but above all he’s a big pervert and the film hasn’t forgotten that. To the point that the first images, it is the gaze of Ryo Saeba which plunges into the neckline of his client, to then see him on the roofs of Shinjuku to watch girls coming out of the public baths and singing that he has a banana , in complete relaxation. A little later, we actually have a scene in a private club where Ryo Saeba gives us the pleasure of a Mokkori Show, completely naked, with just a few utensils to hide his penis. A little later, the Shinjuku stallion will not hesitate to use his big horse to prevent photographers, also perverse, from photographing a cosplayer from a low angle, that is to say under her skirt. A really crazy scene, especially since the direction and editing emphasize the humor each time. So, even in 2024, in the midst of the post-MeToo era, this City Hunter never hides the obscene inclinations of its main character, without ever sinking into vulgarity or crossing an overly sexist line.
RYOHEI SUZUKI: THE REVELATION
All this could have turned into a slightly awkward or clumsy gritty if the actor in question had not managed to transcribe the spirit of Ryo Saeba / Nicky Larson, but here again, the production had incredible flair in offering the role from our detective to actor Ryohei Suzuki. I didn’t know him, despite his great filmography, but damn, it’s the revelation of the film. Ryo Saeba in live-action is him, both physically and in performance. And above all, he is able to go from serious to the absolutely perverse and burlesque side of Ryo Saeba in the snap of a finger. He is never ridiculous, he is always in the right tone. It’s just incredible how perfect this casting choice is. The same goes for the character of Hideyuki Makimura, his teammate and adopted brother of Kaori/Laura, played by Masanobu Ando. He too is perfectly cast. When I think that the guy is almost 50 years old, it’s just total madness because he looks so young. And finally, the character of Kaori, or Laura in French, is also a casting success, with the actress Misato Morita who plays her rather well, knowing that we are more in the beginnings of the character, well before she evolves alongside Ryo Saeba, gets to know him with his perverse side and finally falls in love with him. There is therefore a restraint in the personality of the character which contrasts with the manga, but that is normal, we are on a complete origin story of Hojo’s work, with its own liberties, and there too, I find that It’s perfectly well done.
This origin story really makes sense since it also allows us to appeal to an audience other than those who know the manga or the anime, even that of Club Dorothée. Moreover, in this regard, concerning the VF and the French subtitles, be aware that it risks being a little controversial, in the sense that Netflix France has chosen to keep the names of the French version to capitalize on the reputation of the license in France, particularly among people in their forties. Is it a good idea ? I don’t know, but I understand Netflix’s dilemma somewhere. On the other hand, how can you not laugh when Hideyuki Makimura calls himself Tony Marconi even though we are in Japan, the actor is Japanese, and especially if you watch the film in Japanese with French subtitles, you will hear the original names Japanese, but with French names. It’s quite disturbing in reality… But I understand the dilemma for Netflix. As much as I would have done the same for the VF dubbing, for the VOST, I would have opted for the original names.
We might therefore believe that everything is perfect up to this point, but there are still things that are less refined, less convincing, particularly in the making of the film. Nothing dramatic or scandalous, but we remain with an overall rather timid staging, quite generic, I want to say. We’re on a Netflix production. However, there are some good ideas and even flashes, notably in certain choices of shots and in certain combat scenes, notably in the intro and the final scene, but everything else does not manage to go further than the proper achievement without more. Likewise, something that really caught my attention is that we are in Tokyo, in Shinjuku, one of the most eccentric districts of the capital along with Harajuku, but it’s not exciting enough. We should have had a festival of colors, iconic shots of Japan, things a little more posed, but the director never goes too far, he stays within his framework, within his nails. It lacks this overall grain of madness, even if once again, at the end of the film, it has fun in certain passages. Besides, I find it a little too cut up in the editing, the film would have gained in amplitude if we had allowed the scenes to extend and not cut every 3 seconds.
But let’s not shy away from our pleasure, because in the end, we had a good time watching the film and seeing that the producers and Netflix have understood how to transcribe the City Hunter spirit in a 1h44 film, that leaves hope for the following. We now hope that if there is a sequel, the characters will be further developed, that we will be able to count on the arrival of Umibôzu (the famous Mammoth in VF), the big absentee from the film, even if the VF dubbing refers to it. Here again, we suspect a problem with translation, because in the Japanese original, his name is never mentioned…
OUR RATING: 6.5/10
