NICKY LARSON is an adaptation of Tsukasa Hojo's 80s action comedy CITY HUNTER, about a skirt-chasing gun-for-hire and his pretty but aggressive partner and the adventures they have as various clients come to them. The story represented the height of 80s culture with its urban atmosphere and mix of comedy and drama; though the story is set in Tokyo, dubs meant it could apply to any major metropolis. While the 1980s setting and style can put off viewers of later eras, no story can really escape the era of its creation, and if viewers can overlook the dated history they can get a good appreciation of the story.
This adaptation, done by French filmmaker Philippe Lacheau, a fan of City Hunter and other anime, is a love letter to the saga. Dubbed in French as NICKY LARSON, the film is a faithful enough adaptation of the story, as Lachaeu himself (directing as well as acting) and his co-stars play their roles with enthusiasm and enjoyment, making the film a fun ride to see. The addition of various other homages to popular anime was a nice touch too, if perhaps unnecessary.
However, the adaptation isn't perfect. Primarily, an action comedy should be able to blend its comedic and dramatic parts together well enough to make the mix appealing. This adaptation has good enough comical and action scenes (the latter notably featuring a fight scene involving a magnet), but it doesn't do a good enough job at blending the two together. The film comes off as a slightly jarring mix of fighting and foolery, which doesn't really work right when compared to how skillfully Hojo's story was able to balance both. Furthermore, the addition of native French comedy to the story (some idiot Frenchmen bystanders who get dragged into the adventure) not only unbalances the mix of comedy and drama, but adds little to the overall adaptation.
On the whole, while I think it could have been better, I think it was a good enough adaptation to work out.
This adaptation, done by French filmmaker Philippe Lacheau, a fan of City Hunter and other anime, is a love letter to the saga. Dubbed in French as NICKY LARSON, the film is a faithful enough adaptation of the story, as Lachaeu himself (directing as well as acting) and his co-stars play their roles with enthusiasm and enjoyment, making the film a fun ride to see. The addition of various other homages to popular anime was a nice touch too, if perhaps unnecessary.
However, the adaptation isn't perfect. Primarily, an action comedy should be able to blend its comedic and dramatic parts together well enough to make the mix appealing. This adaptation has good enough comical and action scenes (the latter notably featuring a fight scene involving a magnet), but it doesn't do a good enough job at blending the two together. The film comes off as a slightly jarring mix of fighting and foolery, which doesn't really work right when compared to how skillfully Hojo's story was able to balance both. Furthermore, the addition of native French comedy to the story (some idiot Frenchmen bystanders who get dragged into the adventure) not only unbalances the mix of comedy and drama, but adds little to the overall adaptation.
On the whole, while I think it could have been better, I think it was a good enough adaptation to work out.