Chan publicly criticized City Hunter and its director, Wong Jing[1]
In his 1998 autobiography, he stated that City Hunter "is okay, but not one of my favorites."[2]: 393
In response, Wong wrote, directed and produced High Risk, which satirized Chan as a womanizing drunkard[3]: 39 [4]
Chan admitted in a later memoir that he "was quite a nasty jerk" during his rise to fame, spending his fortune on "drinking, gambling and girls" and confessing that he had repeatedly engaged in drunk driving[5]
Richard Meyers reports an alternate version, where Wong made the film after Chan dropped out of co-starring in one of his movies with Jet Li[6]: 150
According to Richard Meyers, Wong incorporated the rumour that director Stanley Tong performed Rumble in the Bronx's jump between buildings into the film[6]: 150
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "Director Wong Jing does an impressive job of keeping the film's many moods in harmony."[9]
Noted that such a satirical film would never be made in America, due to how much of a scandal it would cause
Described the film's climax as "restrained and tasteful"
Stephen Hunter, The Baltimore Sun: Described the film as "an amusing parody of Jackie Chan that both mocks the form of the Hong Kong kung-fu action picture while also delivering one"[10]
Noted that the director "shunts between incredible farce and incredible spectacle"
Sean Axmaker, The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide: "Wong Jing [...] is a shamelessly slapstick-oriented director, but he knows how to stage an action scene- gunplay, explosions, terrific martial arts battles, and a spectacular helicopter stunt highlight this comic action picture."[11]: 334
Walter Addiego, The San Francisco Examiner: "In all, the film offers 98 minutes of fast-paced silliness for those willing to overlook some lapses in taste and more than a few subtitle gaffes."[12]
Noted that the humour was "sometimes juvenile", but highlighted a scene where Li fights with a movie lighting track
Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune: Described it as a "bombastic piece of Hong Kong action that borrows heavily from Hollywood explode-a-thons"[13]
Surmised that English-language audiences would find the poorly-proofread subtitles funny
Noted the film uses plot elements from American action movies, such as the bomb defusal from Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Noted that "Cheung has a field day lampooning Chan's slapstick mugging and superstar narcissism", Wong's propensity for "[adding] lots of in-jokes for maximum comedic effect"
Philippa Hawker, The Age: The film is "a sometimes funny jibe at a well-known action star"[14]
In an 1998 interview with IGN, Chan dismissed the film, saying that he was pleased that the film did not perform well at the box office and that Wong "always [wanted] to make quick money"[15]
^D., Spence (2002-10-20) [Originally interviewed in 1998]. "Jackie Chan Flashback". IGN. Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
