Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment
Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski
The Daiei crime thrillers A CERTAIN KILLER / A KILLER'S KEY will be released in February as a double feature limited edition Blu-ray from Arrow Films.
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Anticipating the cool aesthetic of Seijun Suzuki's BRANDED TO KILL and based on a crime novel by Shinji Fujiwara, the author of the original material for the same year's A COLT IS MY PASSPORT, A CERTAIN KILLER and A KILLER'S KEY are similarly stylish contemporary hitman thrillers directed by Daiei's top director of jidai-geki, Kazuo Mori (THE TALE OF ZATOICHI CONTINUES) and starring the studio's top actor Raizō Ichikawa (SHINOBI: BAND OF ASSASSINS, SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH).
In A CERTAIN KILLER (ある殺し屋, Aru Koroshiya, 1967), Shiozaki's low-profile existence as a chef at a local sushi restaurant serves as a front for his true job as a professional assassin whose modus operandi is poisoned needles. He's approached by Maeda, a low-ranking member of a local yakuza group, to take out a rival gang boss. But the sudden arrival into his life of a spirited young woman, Keiko (Yumiko Nogawa, GATE OF FLESH), has dramatic ramifications on his relationship with his new employer.
Ichikawa's lone wolf assassin is back in A KILLER'S KEY (ある殺し屋の鍵, Aru Koroshiya no Kagi, 1967), this time masquerading as a traditional dance instructor named Nitta who is called in to avert a potential financial scandal that threatens to engulf a powerful yakuza group with ties to powerful figures in the political establishment.
Co-scripted by the director Yasuzō Masumura (GIANTS AND TOYS, BLIND BEAST) and featuring masterful scope cinematography with an expressionistic eye for colour by one of Japan's most esteemed cinematographers, Kazuo Miyagawa (RASHOMON, UGETSU), these Japanese crime drama essentials are presented for the very first time to the English-language home video market.
A CERTAIN KILLER / A KILLER'S KEY Limited Edition Blu-ray
Running Time: 82 / 79 Minutes
Number of Discs: 1
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
US
Region Code: 0
SKU: AV708
UPC: 760137170556
Street Date: 2/11/25
List Price: $39.95
UK
Region Code: B
Barcode: 5027035027326
UK Rating: 12
Street Date: 2/10/25
RRP: £29.99
Bonus Materials
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films
- Original uncompressed Japanese mono audio for both films
- Optional newly translated English subtitles
- Brand new audio commentary for both films by critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
- The Definite Murderer, a brand new 30-minute introduction to the films by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts
- Original theatrical trailers for both films
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Tony Stella
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Jasper Sharp and Earl Jackson
Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION
Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. ©1967 KADOKAWA CORPORATION
About Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a leading independent entertainment distribution company, established in 1991. Operating in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, United States of America and Canada, Arrow Films is dedicated to supporting upcoming and established filmmakers of dynamic new cinema and developing an enviable slate of quality films that enjoy a lasting legacy across its award-winning branded labels, channels, and platforms.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is a full service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing thousands of audio and visual products for DVD, Bluray, CD, vinyl, and digital rights, worldwide. MVD also exclusively distributes a growing line of merchandise including limited edition collectibles, tee shirts, and more. “Serving Artists and Audiences†is MVD's purpose statement; it represents a commitment to the interests of the musicians, filmmakers, record labels, producers, managers, and every link in the supply chain. The customers are the Audience, from wholesalers, sub-distributors, major retail chains, online retailers, specialists, and independent mom and pop stores, all the way to the consumer. MVD Entertainment Group was founded in 1986 by Tom Seaman, an industry veteran with prior experience with The Record Hunter, Sam Goody, CBS Retail, and JEM Distribution. Tom, along with his family Elinor, Eve and Ed, initially focused on music videotapes. At the turn of the century, with the advent of DVD, MVD built a large catalog of exclusively distributed audiovisual content on DVDs, with special strength in music concert films, horror movies, documentaries, comedy, cult classics, and much more.