Written and directed by John Woo, The Killer is a seminal ’80s action film that gets the Deluxe 4K UHD treatment from Shout Studios as part of their Hong Kong Cinema Classics line.
Buy The Killer (1989) Deluxe 4K UHDIn a breathtaking ballet of blood and bullets that brings to mind the work of Sam Peckinpah, hitman Ah Jung (Chow Yun-fat) takes out a slew of men to kill his target in a nightclub. He proves adept with a gun considering the number of bodies he takes down. However, in the shootout, he accidentally damages the eyes of Jennie (Sally Yeh), a singer in the club. Being that he has a moral code, he watches over her. After making contact, they develop a relationship, though she is unaware how they first met.
Detective Li Ying (Danny Lee) has an undercover assignment go bad. He chases a criminal onto a crowded bus, and even though the man grabs a woman to use as a shield, Li proves he is also adept with guns and kills the man. However, the woman being held has heart attack and dies, which outrages her family and his superiors.
To pay for Jennie’s cornea transplant, Jung wants a big payday, telling his friend/handler Chu Kong (Fung Sei) this will be his last job. The man he is to kill is under official police protection. Jung hits his target, and Li is one of the cops chasing after him. However, when Jung gets to his rendezvous point, he discovers Chu has set him up as a number of gunmen are waiting. Jung has been killing Triad crime bosses for Wong Hoi (Shing Fui-on), the new crime boss after having Jung open up the position, and he now wants Jung killed.
Another innocent victim, a young girl, is injured in the crossfire. Jung risks his life and freedom by taking her to a hospital. Li finds him there but Jung escapes. They have a comic encounter at Jennie’s apartment, guns right in each other’s faces, but for Jennie’s benefit, they pretend to be old friends. But that pretense soon fades as they each lose faith in their organizations, especially Jung who doesn’t get the money he is owed but multiple attempts on his life. They eventually unite against Wong Hoi’s forces.
Woo’s script keeps viewers engaged as alliances prove fluid throughout. However, it’s the spectacular, guns-blaring action sequences that make this film most memorable, increasing in intensity until the memorable climatic sequence.
Created from a new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives, the video has been given an HEVC H.265 encoded transfer displayed at the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The image offers strong hues, bright whites, and inky blacks, though the latter can crush like when Wong is wearing a black suit while sitting on a black couch. Film grain is natural. Focus is typically sharp, but some scenes can be softer. Source lights bloom at times, like the street lights during Li’s sting.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono in both Cantonese and English dub. The punches and kicks sound thunderous. Gun shots ring out. The subwoofer is active and delivers strong support to the bottom end. The synth keys on composer Lowell Lo’s score are shrill at times and can sound muddled.
The Killer 4K UHD is housed in a rigid slipcase. In addition to the UHD, the set includes the film on Blu-rays and a Blu-ray with the video extras. There is also includes a 52-page booklet with essays.
The Special Features, all in HD, are:
On the UHD Disc and Blu-ray Disc 1:
- Audio Commentary by Woo and journalist Drew Taylor
- Audio Commentary by critic and author David West
- Archival Audio Commentary with Woo and producer Terence Chang
Blu-ray Disc 2:
- The Hero of Heroic Bloodshed (74 min) – a documentary on Woo and his legacy.
- A Bullet Ballet (45 min) – an archival interview with Woo
- Editing The Killer (12 min) – an interview with editor David Wu
- Hong Kong Confidential (12 min) – a discussion with author Grady Hendrix
- My Kind of Hero (6 min) – an interview with producer Chang
- Deleted and Extended Scenes (12 min)
- Image Gallery (7 min)
- Trailers (6 min)
The Killer is thrilling buddy picture that Woo elevates with his directorial style. The acclaim it has earned over the years is understandable as it Shout Studios referring to it as a “Hong Kong Cinema Classic.” The high-definition presentation is marvelous and the extras allow fans to take a deep dive into it.
