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| Images courtesy of 88 Films |
I'm sure many of us can tell a story or two about a bad interaction with a taxi driver (or nowadays a Lyft or Uber driver). Overcharging for rides, taking extra long routes, the list goes on. In Herman Yau's Taxi Hunter (1993), we witness much more intense behavior from taxi drivers; from extortion to acts as heinous as sexual assault. Herman Yau is infamous for his CAT III films starring Anthony Wong, having made films such as The Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996). These films are known for extreme shocking violence and unhinged performances by Wong. Taxi Hunter isn't as crazy and gory as these films and has a more nuanced performance from Wong.
Wong plays Kin, a salaryman who has a normal life and and a living wife. His wife is pregnant with their first child and is close to her due date. The narrative doesn't delve too deeply into Kin's backstory but it's obvious that things are going generally well for him and he's even been recognized at his job for outstanding work. His life begins to go downhill after he has an encounter with a taxi driver who brakes suddenly in front of him on a busy road. Not only does it break Kin's car, the driver calls a few of his buddies to intimidate Kin into giving him a large sum of money. Out of a car and all of his money, Kin is dejected but the love of his wife sooths his emotions.
Later on, Kin's wife goes into labor and without a car he is forced to call a cab. Although the cab shows up, the driver accepts another higher paying fare and leaves Kin and his struggling wife high-and-dry. The next taxi he calls is even worse, dragging his poor wife down the street in the pouring rain. After finally getting his wife to the hospital things don't end well, which breaks Kin's mind and he vows to clean up the streets Death Wish style.
Wong's performance in the first half of the film is understated and low-key; it's apparent he's a nice guy who just wants to help people and live his life. The narrative is paced well and showcases Kin's slow decent into rage and insanity as he stalks the streets at night murdering taxi drivers who do him wrong. Herman Yau takes a few notes from Taxi Driver (1976) and even has Wong delivering a monologue similar to the Travis Bickle "You lookin' at me?!" scene. It is a bit ironic that Taxi Hunter flips the switch and has the customer attacking the taxi drivers.
Those who know Wong from his more manic roles will enjoy seeing him chew on a more nuanced character even though eventually he slips into the insanity like a well worn pair of shoes. Overall, it's an intriguing take on the "society driving men mad" genre.
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
--Michelle Kisner