Okay, look. We need to get some unfortunate business out of the way first. Before a mere three minutes have passed we get casual use of a homophobic slur; reference to lascivious, all but predatory protagonist Saeba Ryo turning his lustful attention to minors; and abjectly misogynist language. In a franchise whose protagonist already hasn't aged well and was never appropriate in the first place, it's a terribly inauspicious start for this 1999 TV movie, and even in the 90s folks should known better, and done better. Enjoyable as 'City Hunter' generally is in its mix of action and comedy with occasional thriller airs, sometimes it's plainly questionable if not downright problematic, inherently placing upper limits on the entertainment to be had. No wonder Ryo and Kaori routinely have long streaks without any jobs; her huge arsenal of hammers, employed to keep her highly competent but dubious partner in check, only gets us so far. With extra doses of tiresome juvenility on hand in 'Death of the vicious criminal Saebe Ryo' in various ways, one's first impulse is to hope there's a ring of truth to the name.
Would that these were the only issues facing the flick. I'm not familiar enough with the manga or anime to know where the story here stands in relation to the prior material, but even if one's only frame of reference are the other films, Kishima Nobuaki's screenplay is bothersome. Our narrative here throws out the window any past relationship we have already observed Saeba, as a private detective, to have had with official law enforcement. We can't even wave this off by saying it's a story taking place earlier in the man's career, because we do see established relationships with other known supporting characters. I don't know what led to the plot taking the specific shape that it does here, but even passing knowledge of the franchise is enough to poke holes in it. This, and the boorish nature of too much of the humor, are all the more unfortunate since there is real substance and dark undertones to the saga as it is. All too relevant twenty five years later, the picture plays with notions of powerful corporations exercising their wealth and power at will to to gain more, moreover indifferently playing with people's lives and freely manipulating facts and evidence, while government agencies with jurisdiction do nothing or even buy into the misinformation. In the midst of a story that begins with a woman fearing for her life, and which takes some (key word) shrewd turns along the way, these are all meaningful ideas - and I can't help but feel that they're mistreated as the feature is specifically written.
We still get action, and it's broadly fluid and exciting. We still get some comedy that doesn't rely on the most oafishly puerile facets of the franchise, and it's swell. The thriller vibes are indisputably emphasized more in this instance, and they are welcome. The animation is as excellent as ever, with nice detail and texture, lovely backgrounds and vivid active elements, nice consideration for lighting and shading, and smart use of effects. The voice acting strikes me as especially adept as the script requires the cast to shift wildly between moods on a moment's notice, and they ably do so, star Kamiya Akira most of all. I'm quite pleased with Yano Tatsumi's original music, flavorful and dynamic as it complements every mood and scene; the other songs featured on the soundtrack - two charged blasts from metal band Sex Machineguns, and the joyfully 80s bop "Get wild" of TM Network - are better yet, an unexpected highlight. By and large 'Death of the vicious criminal Saeba Ryo' is well made, and it's a good time more than not. I actually do like it. But it's regrettably imbalanced, struggling to reckon the hard edges in the storytelling with the attempted comedy that adjoins it, and too much of that attempted comedy rather fails to land.
In turn, the title feels much longer than it is, the first time in my experience with the franchise that it has been troubled in that regard. Even the action violence - resulting in a surprising number of casualties - feels passé, and lacks the impact that it should carry. The same goes for the more dramatic scenes, and some beats just feel forced; when in the last third we get major plot reveals, to be frank they're much less than fully convincing, let alone satisfying, and the same goes for the lengthy supposed climax. We get 'City Hunter,' but not the entirety of the 'City Hunter' we really want as far as I'm concerned, and far from the best representation of the franchise. It's not that this one movie isn't at all worthwhile, only that compared to any of the other theatrical or television movies, it's distinctly weak and middling. Trying too hard in some respects, and not treated with nearly enough careful consideration in others, it's not as clever as it thinks it is; in my opinion this is a piece that's a low priority when stood next to any other, and something best left for a quiet day. Some great ideas, some poor ones, and so-so writing one way or the other: 'Death of the vicious criminal Saeba Ryo' is fun, but not nearly as fun as it should have been, and any recommendation it earns is only a very soft one.
