The 1990s were a glorious period of Hong Kong cinema, and any single film could bring together goddesses and goddesses. At the same time, it is also the highlight period of Wang Jing's comedy sketches, and 1993's "City Hunter" is fully worthy of Jackie Chan and Wang Jing's masterpieces.
This film, officially licensed by the Japanese manga of the same name, has Wang Jing's gags and Jackie Chan-esque humor. Coupled with some suspense and martial arts elements, it can be called a very representative Hong Kong film in the 90s.
Especially the addition of wang zuxian and Qiu Shuzhen, the two goddesses, as well as the Japanese actress Goto Kumiko, the face value of the online Shan Liwen. This lineup alone, with a Hong Kong film filter, will also be enjoyable, not to mention how happy Jackie Chan's Chunli women's outfit is.
2018 by PhilipPe. Rachaux's self-written and self-directed live-action version of "City Hunter" was praised for the high degree of restoration of the original work, and he did not expect a European to shoot a Japanese manga flavor.
Philip's momentum over the years has been very strong, starting from the "Temporary Nanny" series to "Excuse Company", the script, director, and starring are basically all in one hand.
They are all popcorn comedies with a brisk pace, hilarious plots, and no threshold of cultural differences. This time, Philip the City Hunter has put a lot of effort into hiding some elements of "Soccer Boy" and "Dragon Ball".
Philip claims to have grown up watching Japanese manga in the 90s, so he has deep feelings and his own understanding. When he sees other live-action comic films, he will learn from the experience and try to let the original fans not be disappointed in the movie.
The French version of City Hunter tells the story of a private detective investigating Cupid's perfume, which has a magical effect, that is, after smearing, it can make others fall in love with you. Starting from this, a series of ironic stories have taken place.
It is not difficult to see many French elements in the movie, such as the ubiquitous beauty terrier. But this coincides with the "temperance" of the original comic book, which achieves a good chemical effect.
The verbal laughter in European movies is not the same as the high-frequency output lines of black people, which are a little calm and spitting, although the speed of speech is fast, but the final landing point is not shouting or excitement. This slightly cold and humorous temperament, coupled with some funny pictures that do not require brains, can burst out better results.
Because I have seen several of Philip's films, I recognize his ability, feel that his brain is very flexible, and the camera language is also good. At the same time, as a screenwriter and director, he can tell a story clearly, and his own actor can perfectly convey the artistic conception of the story, and he can unify his style by holding several positions.
Looking at the French version alone, being able to adapt Japanese manga to Asians to like, which requires understanding and feelings, of course, is inseparable from the tonal proximity between the author's styles.
To be honest, if it weren't for Philip himself liking the original comics, this kind of laborious and unflattering thing would generally not be done by any art worker, and it would have to be painstaking to apply for authorization.
For many original parties, adaptation is the destruction of classics, and the heart is resistant from the beginning. However, for ordinary viewers who have not seen the comic, this is a light comedy, without its own expectations and good feelings.
As a Chinese audience, even if there is a Hong Kong style filter, this French version does not lose the Hong Kong version. The two are not the contrast of opposites, but the two are very popular with the audience, and the plot and style are pleasing.
And the ratings of the two films on film review sites are also strikingly similar, with IMDb ratings. The Douban Port version has 7.6 points and the French version has 7.2 points, and the gap is not large. In the eyes of Chinese and foreign audiences, word of mouth is flat, which once again shows that the threshold for watching movies is not high, and it is easy to get (cross-cultural) laughter, which happens to be the most important and difficult part of the export of comedy film culture.