A Killer's Key Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

A Killer's Key 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.)

I almost wonder if the creatives behind this quick follow up to A Certain Killer may have made a tactical mistake by having the character portrayed by Raizô Ichikawa bear both a different name and occupation than in the first film. Sure, you can chalk that up to a professional hitman having gone way undercover, but it may have also led to the perception of this nascent "series" being linked more by general plot outlines and star power than any "continuing assassin adventures" a la, say, in the John Wick franchise. In that regard, Ichikawa is introduced in this film in a perhaps even more unlikely occupation than the sushi chef he portrayed in A Certain Killer, namely a dance instructor named Nitta.

There are some at least fleeting tethers to the first film, including a rather arresting opening sequence documenting the sharpening of the scary needle the hitman (whatever his name or fake occupation may be) inserts into the necks of his victims. And it can't be denied that the underlying plot conceit of the hitman figuring out the goons who hired him may not have the most honorable of motives certainly echoes the first film. But A Killer's Key has its own sense of energy, and in some ways it can offer some of its most disturbing moments that are maybe unexpectedly almost insinuations rather than overt depictions.

A Killer's Key Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Killer's Key is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.42:1. 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 not sure if the somewhat odd aspect ratio of this transfer indicates some underlying issue, but I did occasionally feel like this could look a bit anamorphically stretched (see screenshot 5). There presentation probably has a slightly less consistent clarity than the first film, but on the plus side, the palette has less of the dowdy brown and faded appearance, and both bright primaries and more nuanced hues like flesh tones look natural. There may still be just a bit of a yellowish undertone at times that can make reds skew slightly toward oranges. The presentation may also strike some as too bright at times, with a somewhat milky overlay that can slightly work against solid contrast. Grain resolves naturally.

A Killer's Key Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Killer's Key features LPCM Mono audio in the original Japanese. There may be even a bit more hiss in evidence on this track than on A Certain Killer, as can be heard pretty clearly in the opening vignette featuring the needle being sharpened. That said, the actual sharpening sound is delivered despite any slight white noise backdrop. The music in this outing also struck me as kind of hilariously unexpected, and in this case I'd say it once again has weirdly Greek influences, albeit mixed liberally with polka, and, no, that's not a joke. Harpsichord cues can sound just a bit bright. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

A Killer's Key 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 Killer's Key Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There may be just a bit too much of a "lather, rinse, repeat" element here, despite the kind of weird and unexplained transformation of the main character, but A Killer's Key still has some rather potent socioeconomic subtext and some especially evocative cinematography from Kazuo Miyagawa. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing and informative. Recommended.