Crime thriller 'Manhunt' brings three firsts for Fukuyama

Japanese star Masaharu Fukuyama once enthralled Chinese fans with his renditions of songs in Tokyo Love Story, the most popular Japanese TV series airing in China in the mid-90s. Now, he stars in his first Chinese movie, "Manhunt," in theatres now.

"Manhunt" marks Japanese star Masaharu Fukuyama's first lead-starring a Chinese movie. [Photo: China Daily]

Directed by John Woo, one of the earliest Hong Kong directors to become established in Hollywood, the movie is a remake of the 1976 Japanese movie of the same title.

Woo's new version centers around a framed Chinese lawyer who tries to clear his name over a crime he hasn't committed.

Chinese actor Zhang Hanyu plays the lawyer, and Fukuyama stars as a Japanese police officer who takes the lawyer's word and teams up with him to unravel the truth behind the crime.

During his recent tour to promote the movie in Beijing, Fukuyama says the movie brought him three first-time experiences: He gained a license to pilot a motorboat; he spoke English lines for the first time; and he performed many of his own action-scene stunts.

Since "Manhunt" opened across China on Nov 24, the crime thriller has dominated the box office charts, raking in nearly 60 million yuan ($9.1 million).