Director: Herman Yau
Screenplay: Herman Yau, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Ray Mak, Lau Yin
Starring: Anthony Wong, Yu Rongguang, Ng Man-tat, Athena Chu, Perrie Lai Hoi-San, Chan Fai-hung, Oi-Kit Fan, Lung Tin-Sang
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 90 min
Year: 1993
BBFC Certificate: 15
These days, director Herman Yau and actor Anthony Wong largely make pretty mainstream movies, with Yau directing the big-budget Shock Wave films and Wong being a well-known figure in Hong Kong cinema, featuring in a wealth of classic titles, including the Infernal Affairs trilogy (though his career struggled following his support of the anti-government Umbrella Movement in the mid-2010s). However, both made a name for themselves in 1993 making the extreme Category III movie, The Untold Story (which Warren reviewed here recently). This shocking, brutal account of a true-life murder case was a surprise hit at the Hong Kong box office and won Wong a Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
The Untold Story wasn’t the only film the pair made together in 1993 though. Performing much less successfully at the box office and awards circuit that year was Taxi Hunter. Reportedly favoured by the pair, they were sad to see the film quickly come and go but, over the years, with The Untold Story and a later collaboration, Ebola Syndrome, developing somewhat of a cult following among fans of extreme Asian cinema, interest in Taxi Hunter grew.
Now, 88 Films, who have already released Blu-rays of The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome, have turned their attention to Taxi Hunter for a Blu-ray release, complete with their usual bells and whistles. Intrigued by feedback I’d heard about the more famous pair of Yau and Wong films 88 Films have released, I requested a copy of Taxi Hunter to review.
Playing out like a sort of cross between Falling Down and Taxi Driver, Taxi Hunter sees Wong play Kin, a mild-mannered insurance salesman whose wife (Hoi-Shan Lai) is expecting a baby. His life is running along smoothly, with a promotion on the horizon on top of the impending new arrival.
However, this all comes crashing down when a pair of unsympathetic taxi drivers cause the death of Kin’s wife one night. Crippled with grief, Kin is initially despondent but finds renewed vigour when his grief is displaced by rage against the self-serving, rude taxi drivers that proliferate Hong Kong.
He kills one such driver and seems to find the act therapeutic. This kicks off a series of taxi driver killings, leading to a manhunt. Heading this up are two policemen, Kin’s friend, Yu Kai-Chung (Yu Rongguang), and the ‘unconventional’ Gao (Ng Man-tat). Can this pair put a stop to Kin’s murderous rampage?
Whilst I quite enjoyed Taxi Hunter, I was left slightly disappointed with it. It’s a film I think I’ll appreciate more on future viewings though as it wasn’t quite what I expected. Given the reputations of The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome, I had in mind the film would be wildly over the top and exploitative, full of violence. Instead it’s more of a dramatic thriller about a man at the end of his tether.
This more grounded approach isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there’s somewhat of a melodramatic style to it all (aided by a terribly overbaked score) and an abundance of goofy comedy to keep it from feeling what you might call ‘naturalistic’.
Genre fans won’t be entirely disappointed though, which is why I feel a rewatch might win me over. Whilst Taxi Hunter isn’t particularly crazy or extreme, there are still some exciting set pieces and stunts (particularly the opening scene), as well as a couple of fairly brutal scenes of violence. One of the taxi driver murders, which sees Kin claim his victim using a broken bottle, stood out for me as being particularly nasty.
I also appreciated the fairly unusual approach the film took in making a murderer possibly the most sympathetic character in the film. Whilst Kin’s crimes are reprehensible, most of his victims are shown to be suitably abhorrent and it’s made clear that he’s losing his sanity due to his grief and frustration at what has happened to him.
There was one aspect of the film that I definitely felt let it down though and that’s Ng Man-tat. His ludicrously over-the-top performance and goofy comedy doesn’t settle well at all, despite there being a vein of black humour running throughout. His character is simply annoying whenever on screen and never funny.
Thankfully, the great Anthony Wong picks up the slack, with a captivating central performance. Often known for his wild, villainous roles, here he’s subdued for the most part and gets a chance to show great range as a man shattered by trauma.
So, whilst its unusual blend of violence, melodrama and comedy doesn’t always hit the mark, you’re kept on board Taxi Hunter through the firm anchor of Anthony Wong’s performance and a brave spin on where your sympathies should lie.
Film: 
Taxi Hunter is out on 28th August on region A & B Blu-Ray, released by 88 Films (pre-order it here). The transfer isn’t one of 88 Films’ best, though I imagine this will be down to being limited to a print or interpositive source rather than a negative, as it has a fairly soft look. The blacks are a little heavy too, leading to a lack of detail. The film has a nice natural grain though and the colours are pleasing. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of what it looks like, though these have been compressed.
There’s only one audio option available here, though perhaps the film never made it to the UK in an English dub. The Cantonese track sounds great, regardless, with no issues.
Limited Edition Special Features:
– Double Walled Matt Finish O-Ring featuring new artwork by Sean Longmore
– Double-sided foldout poster
– High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
– Lossless 2.0 Cantonese Mono
– Newly Translated English Subtitles
– Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng
– Hunting For Words – An Interview with Scriptwriter and Producer Tony Leung Hung-Wah
– How to Murder Your Taxi Driver? – An Interview with Action Director James Ha
– Falling Down in Hong Kong – An Interview with star Anthony Wong
– Theatrical Trailer
– Stills Gallery
– Reversible cover with new artwork by Sean Longmore and original HK Poster Art
Frank Djeng provides his usual fast-paced barrage of facts about those involved in the production as well as explaining cultural gags we might have missed. On top of that, he also discusses the reality of the taxi driver situation in Hong Kong, which is fascinating to hear, particularly his own eye-opening experiences.
In his 18-minute interview, Anthony Wong talks about his life and career, and Taxi Hunter, of course. He has some amusing answers, even if he seems a little uncomfortable in places. I particularly enjoyed hearing how he got into acting by accident, because he joined the TVB actor training course just to support a friend who was nervous about doing so himself.
Action Director James Ha provides a 27-minute interview too. He talks about his involvement with Taxi Hunter. I appreciated hearing his description of how some of the stunts were done.
Screenwriter and producer Tony Leung Hung-wah speaks for almost 29 minutes about his experiences making Taxi Hunter. He talks about how he, Yau and Wong thought very fondly of the film and how they thought it could win awards. The latter did win best actor at that year’s Hong Kong Film Awards but for The Untold Story instead. Reportedly, they were all disappointed, as they felt Taxi Hunter was the better film. It’s my favourite of the three interviews, seeing Hung-wah talk with honesty and enthusiasm.
I didn’t receive a copy of the booklet or any other physical extras to comment on those. Once again, a shout-out must go to Sean Longmore for his fantastic artwork though.
Overall, 88 Films have put together an excellent package for this enjoyable thriller. As such, it comes warmly recommended to fans of Asian genre movies.
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