The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 31, 2026

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow's Eiichi Kudo's Samurai Revolution Trilogy set.

The "evolution" of portrayals of samurai in Japanese cinema is a subject worthy of considerable attention, but for those particularly interested in so-called zankoku jidaigeki films, home theater aficionados have been getting the chance over the past couple of years to build their collections, at least if they have access to either region free or various region coded players. This new Region A release of Eicchi Kudo's Samurai Revolution Trilogy is also being offered by Arrow in Region B, adding to a growing list of titles in both regions, including Cruel Tale of Bushido (available in both regions), The Betrayal (available in both regions) and Revenge (available in Region B only as of the writing of this review). Kudo's trilogy may nonetheless offer a kind of "one stop shopping" opportunity for those intrigued in this subgenre, as the three films, released from 1963 to 1967, offer an often visceral deconstruction of samurai culture, at least insofar as the very term samurai may suggest noble intent and that aforementioned term bushido supposedly indicating a code of honor and a secure moral compass. While the Takashi Miike remake of 13 Assassins was released on Blu-ray almost 15 years ago (!), these look like the first Region A and Region B releases of the three films in this set.

The Great Killing takes all of the "rotting from the inside" ambience of 13 Assassins and responds with what might be called the cinematic equivalent of "hold my beer (and/or sake)". Once again a ragtag assemblage of assassins attempts to take out a completely corrupt high ranking officer, much as with 13 Assassins, though that film supposedly took place in the mid-19th century and this is set some two centuries earlier. That fact in and of itself kind of reinforces the idea running through all three of the Kudo films in this set that the entire Tokugawa Shogunate had been putrefying for some time.

What gives The Great Killing a decidedly unique subtext, though, is its relation to some "current events" that were unfolding in Japan at the time of the film's production, something that's covered in some of the supplements on this disc. Suffice it to say that rather interestingly this film may therefore surprisingly be a companion piece of sorts to some of the politically charged efforts from Jean-Luc Godard in the mid to late sixties. There's almost a "social justice" underpinning to this middle film, with the hardscrabble combatants basically engaging in what they seem to already perceive is a hopeless fight.

The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Great Killing is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet lumps fairly minimal information about the transfers of all three films in this set together on one page:

13 Assassins / Jusannin no shikaku, The Great Killing / Dai satsujin and 11 Samurai / Juinichin no samurai are presented in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with mono Japanese audio.

Additional picture restoration work was completed by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios, London.

As with the first film, evocative cinematography is featured throughout this effort as well, and variant weather may be even more on display here than previously. Some dimly lit moments with overwhelming rain may have presented some challenges for the compressionist, but there are really no problems to report in scenes like those or even some others that more resemble the mist or fog enshrouded moments in 13 Assassins. Contrast is once again very appealing, helping to support a maybe slightly more intermittent chiaroscuro approach than in the two other films. Details on sets and costumes is typically excellent. Grain resolves naturally.

The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Great Killing features LPCM Mono in the original Japanese. Another really striking score opens with some high whistling tones that then give way to torrential rainfall, and the track handles sudden changes like this without any issues. As with 13 Assassins, there's some light background hiss that can be discerned in quieter moments, along with a few minor pops. Both narration and dialogue are delivered without any issues. Optional English subttiles are available.

The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by David West


• Magician of Light and Shadow (HD; 30:53) is an interesting video essay by Daisuke Miyao looking at Eiichi's Kudo's evocative use of cinematography and set design in his films.


• Samurai Guerrilla Part 2 (HD; 26:52) continues the conversation begun on 13 Assassins between Eiichi Kudo's assistant director Misao Arai and Dirty Kudo (Kudo fils) about Eiichi Kudo's contributions to Japanese cinema in the 1960s. Subtitled in English, though this was evidently originally a French production, so the English subtitles are in a blurred section of the frame that I'm assuming originally had French subtitles.


• Masaaki Ito Remembers Eiichi Kudo (HD; 13:54) features Kudo's former assistant and brother-in-law. This is another French production where the English subtitles are in a blurred section of the frame.

The Great Killing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If there's a sophomore slump in The Great Killing, it's pretty minor. This film offers what is perhaps the most intriguing "meta" content in the set, as is detailed in some of the enjoyable supplements Arrow has aggregated for this release. Technical merits are generally solid, and The Great Killing comes Recommended.