A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 6, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the A Certain Killer / A Killer's Key double feature set from Arrow Video.

A Certain Killer and A Killer's Key are kind of an interesting example of what might be called a "one two punch" or at least a "one punch that led to a two punch and then no further punches" in the annals of ostensible "franchises" in cinema history. That is at least somewhat like Our Man Flint and In Like Flint on this side of the pond, in that an initial huge hit quickly led to a follow up sequel, with the nascent series then never really being heard from again. In an admittedly irrelevant if still kind of fun trivia data point, In Like Flint arrived at theaters in 1967, which is when both A Certain Killer and its almost insanely quickly produced sequel A Killer's Key were exhibited in Japan. It may also be at least contextually relevant to note that 1967 was the year James Bond "visited" Japan in You Only Live Twice, a film which arrived globally right smack in between the release of the first and second / last films in the supposed "series" currently under discussion. All of the above may admittedly be a bit more tangential than Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill, which insert booklet essayist Jasper Sharp mentions as having "emerged from the void fully formed", helping to create a visceral subgenre featuring what Sharp calls a glut of 1967 films "focused on enigmatic contract killers". It may be salient to point out, though, that according to online databases A Certain Killer was released in Japan on April 29, 1967, while Branded to Kill came out on June 15, 1967, just a few days after You Only Live Twice premiered in fact. (A Killer's Key, while as alluded to above, made very quickly after A Certain Killer, didn't arrive in theaters until December 2, 1967.)

In this first enterprise, Shiozawa (Raizô Ichikawa) masquerades as a chef at a sushi restaurant, but any facility with blades needed at that particular assignment is outdone by Shiozawa's skill with similarly sharp needles, since that's what the character uses in his "real" job as a professional hitman. The film quickly esablishes Shiozawa as a kind of knowingly scheming assassin who is very much a lone wolf, at least until a pretty girl named Keiko (Yumiko Nogawa) enters the fray.

That "enters" in present tense may be a bit misleading, or at least incomplete, in that the film kind of darts in and out of flashbacks to deliver relevant backstories for both Shiozawa and Keiko, as well as a yakuza type named Maeda (Mikio Narita). As is mentioned in some of the supplements, this structural artifice may be intentionally obscured at times, making the narrative deliberately disjunctive and adding an undeniable feeling of unease to the proceedings. That very quality probably helps the film elide certain formulaic elements of the screenplay, including the very aforementioned aspect of a lone wolf assassin, but also a not exactly unexpected set of virtual (and maybe literal) back stabbings and betrayals.

A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Certain Killer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet lumps both films together in its brief verbiage devoted to the presentations:

A Certain Killer and A Killer's Key are both presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono audio. The high definition masters were provided by Kadokawa.

Additional picture remastering work was completed by R3Store Studios, London. Additional audio remastering work was completed by Þorsteinn Gislason.

I'm frankly curious if some of the work R3Store did on the "pre delivered" master from Kadokawa may have been some kind of grading tweaking, as I found the overall look here to be a bit on the yellow and brown side quite a bit of the time. That gives a kind of dated, faded look to the palette, but there are still moments of relatively vibrant pop in some of the outdoor material in particular. Detail levels on both props and costumes, but also a number of rather interesting outdoor locations, is typically very good to excellent. There's some pretty extreme anamorphic squeezing at the edges of the frame on occasion (keep your eyes peeled around the 41:00 mark for one good example). Grain can be heavy but encounters no real resolution issues.

A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Certain Killer features LPCM Mono audio in the original Japanese. There are no significant issues with this track, though I found the high end to be just a bit brash at times (as in the train whistle in the opening scene). I have to say probably somewhat hilariously Hajime Kaburagi's score kind of reminded me of Mikis Theodorakis' work on Zorba the Greek, as odd as I know that may sound. Some hiss is evident in quieter moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged both of the films together on one BD-50. A Choose Film option is available from the Main Menu, and then the following Special Features (some shared) are available under each individual film's submenu.

A Certain Killer

• Audio Commentary with Tony Rayns


• The Definite Murderer (HD; 32:41) is available under both films' submenus and features a broad ranging discussion about both films by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:16)


• Image Gallery (HD)

A Killer's Key

• Audio Commentary with Tony Rayns


• The Definite Murderer (HD; 32:41) is available under both films' submenus and features a broad ranging discussion about both films by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:06)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, Arrow offers an reversible insert sleeve with each film on one side. The insert booklet contains a great essay by Jasper Sharp. Packaging features a slipcover.

A Certain Killer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Certain Killer certainly deserves greater renown than it's been able to muster outside of Japan, where it was a sensational enough success to spawn an almost immediate sequel. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing and informative. Recommended.