Crime Hunter

{{Infobox film | name = Crime Hunter | image = Crime_Hunter_film_DVD_cover_(1989).jpg | alt = | caption = | director = {{ill|Shundō Ōkawa|ja|大川俊道}}<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1">{{Cite AV media notes | title= V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal | last=Thiery | first=Samuel | date=29 April 2025 | page=4 | type=Blu-ray booklet | publisher=Arrow Video | chapter=Cast and Crew }}</ref><ref group=Note name=Note01>Shundō Ōkawa was previously known as Toshimichi Ōkawa.</ref><ref name="Blu-ray booklet2">{{Cite AV media notes | title= V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal | last=Jackson | first=Earl | date=29 April 2025 | page=12 | type=Blu-ray booklet | publisher=Arrow Video | chapter=Mayhem for the Home Screen: Toei V-Cinema }}</ref> | producer = Kazuo Kato<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><br/>Tōru Yoshida<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><br/>Katsuhiko Takei<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/> | writer = | screenplay = | story = | based_on =  | narrator = | starring = | music = {{ill|Seiichi Kyōda|ja|京田誠一}}<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/> | cinematography = Yōsuke Mamiya<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/> | editing = Fumio Soda<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/> | studio = | distributor = | released = {{Film date|1989|3|10|Japan}} | runtime = 60 minutes | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = {{¥|60 million}} {{US$|460,000}}<ref name="Mes1">{{cite book |last=Mes |first=Tom |date=2023 |title=Japanese Film and the Challenge of Video |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003346814/japanese-film-challenge-video-tom-mes |url-access=subscription |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |series=Media, Culture and Social Change in Asia |page=67 |isbn=978-1-032-38797-0 |access-date=}}</ref> | gross = }}

{{Nihongo|'''''Crime Hunter'''''|クライムハンター怒りの銃弾|Kuraimuhanta Ikari no Judan|lead=yes}}, also known as ''Crimehunter – Bullet of Fury'', is a 1989 Japanese original video action film, which was the first in Toei's V-Cinema line.<ref name="Mes1"/><ref name="allcinema">{{cite web |url= http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=87889|script-title=ja:クライムハンター怒りの銃弾 (1989)|access-date= August 31, 2014|work= allcinema|publisher= Stingray|language= Japanese}}</ref><ref name="midnighteye">{{cite web |url= http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/crime-hunter/|title= Crime Hunter|author= Tom Mes|date= February 7, 2014|access-date= August 31, 2014|work= Midnight Eye}}</ref> Directed by Shundō Okawa, it was released on March 10, 1989.<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="allcinema"/>

==Plot== Joe and Ahiru , police detectives in Little Tokyo, arrive at a scene in order to catch Bruce Yamamoto, who has stolen five million dollars from a Church. They capture Bruce, but as they are driving back to the station, they are ambushed by a gang. In the ensuing shootout, Joe is injured and hospitalised, Ahiru is killed, and Bruce escapes.

Joe leaves the police in order to pursue Ahiru's killers. After investigating some leads, he meets with Lily, a nun from the church that Bruce robbed, who wants to get the money back.

Later, Bruce kidnaps Lily and tells Joe to meet him in an abandoned warehouse. Bruce retrieves the stolen money, bringing Lily along with him. He then kills two members of the gang that killed Ahiru, and who were also going to kill Bruce in order to take the money for themselves. It transpires that this gang is in fact members of the former police force of Ahiru and Joe. Joe and Bruce then team up to kill the rest of the members. Bruce dies in the shootout.

As Lily and Joe are getting ready to leave, Hunt, the police officer who took over the case from Joe, appears and shoots Lily dead. Joe manages to kill Hunt and the film ends as Joe carries Lily's body away from the warehouse.

==Cast== *Masanori Sera as Joe Kawamura<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="midnighteye"/> *{{ill|Minako Tanaka|ja|田中美奈子}} as Lily<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="midnighteye"/> *Riki Takeuchi as Ahiru<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="midnighteye"/> *{{ill|Ryuji Katagiri|ja|片桐竜次}}<ref name="midnighteye"/> *{{ill|Seiji Matano|ja|又野誠治}} as Bruce Yamamoto<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="midnighteye"/> *{{ill|Keishi Hunt|ja|ハント敬士}} as Hunt<ref name="Blu-ray booklet1"/><ref name="midnighteye"/> *Yoshio Harada<ref name="midnighteye"/>

==Reception== On Midnight Eye, Tom Mes said that "thanks to giving the Japanese film industry a much-needed shot in the arm by kick-starting the V-cinema movement, [the film] holds undeniable historical value".<ref name="midnighteye"/>

==Sequels== The film was followed in the same year with {{Nihongo|'''''Crime Hunter 2'''''||Kuraimuhantā 2 uragiri no jūdan|}},<ref name="Mes1"/> which was also directed by Ōkawa, and {{Nihongo|'''''Crime Hunter 3'''''||Kuraimuhantā 3 minagoroshi no jūdan}} in 1990.<ref name="Mes2">{{cite book |last=Mes |first=Tom |date=2023 |title=Japanese Film and the Challenge of Video |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003346814/japanese-film-challenge-video-tom-mes |url-access=subscription |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |series=Media, Culture and Social Change in Asia |page=100 |isbn=978-1-032-38797-0 |access-date=}}</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist|group=Note}}

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:1989 action films Category:1989 films Category:1989 direct-to-video films Category:Direct-to-video action films Category:Japanese action films Category:Japanese direct-to-video films Category:1989 Japanese films Category:1989 Japanese-language films