Hong Kong Digital #147a: The Killer

Australia: R
British Columbia: R (Frequent Violence)
Chile: 18
Finland: K-18
France: 16
Great Britain: 18
Netherlands: 16

New Zealand: R
Norway: 18
Nova Scotia: 18 (Extreme Violence)
Ontario: R (Brutal Violence, May Offend Some)
Singapore: PG [Passed With Cuts]
Sweden: BANNED
West Germany: 18

Note: While most American releases of this title offer the complete HK edition, there is also a heavily cut R-rated version created for an alternate VHS release through Fox Lorber. Needless to say, it should be avoided at all costs.

PRESENTATION

THE KILLER is an easy title to find on DVD but Hong Kong Legends has given it a spotless new 16:9 transfer that puts the competing English subtitled discs to shame. There is a slight jump caused by missing frames at 32:03 and minor grain can be seen in a few set-ups but the image otherwise looks excellent. Compared to the Criterion DVD, there is a bit less picture on all four sides of the frame, with the HKL image having been slightly blown up. The effect is not really damaging but a bit frustrating nonetheless. The 5.1 re-mix is okay; the sound field is decent but little is done with the rears or the bass. On the one hand, purists will be grateful that the movie has not been subjected to a slipshod overhaul, like the early Celestial titles. On the other, the original mono track has not been included, marring an otherwise reverent presentation. HKL's new English translation is an improvement over both the original HK subtitles and the ones created for the U.S. release; the British subs are more comprehensive and the characters are finally presented with their proper Chinese names. The American DVDs from Criterion and Fox Lorber feature different Woo commentaries but HKL has enlisted Bey Logan to handle their release. He reiterates some of Woo's earlier comments but also comes up with a lot of fresh data about the performers, the locations, etc. He even took the time to come up with the movie's body count: 120! (Logan does make a couple of errors, misidentifying Ricky Yee Fan-wai as Ng Siu-hung, and getting the HK David Wu mixed up with his like named Taiwanese counterpart).

Kenneth Tsang (left), Sally Yeh (centre), Peter Pau (right).
Above images have ZOOM links. Click on picture for large image. Images courtesy Hong Kong Legends.

The Interview Gallery is always a treat on HKL discs and, although Woo, Chow, and Lee did not participate, we do get input from Kenneth Tsang, Sally Yeh, and co-cinematographer Peter Pau. Tsang has many kind words for Woo and his methods, as well as praise for Chow and Lee. Yeh (who does not appear to have aged more than a year of two since filming) talks about how she got into the business and some of the difficulties and injuries she sustained making the picture. Pau (who only worked on the first seven days, at which point Woo's original choice, Horace Wong Wing-hang, finished a prior commitment and became available) talks about the sequences he did and how Woo's methods contrast with most HK directors. Five sequences from the Taiwanese version (Mandarin with burned-in English subs) are also on offer and they make one wish that this entire version had also been included (it can be obtained on the French double disc release from HK Video). As you would expect, the excerpts look far inferior to the main transfer. The image is dark and smeary, and the chapters have not been correctly flagged, playing back vertically squashed. The original HK trailer and UK video promo spot are also available, along with spots for six other recent HKL releases. There is a smooth layer change at 1:28:56 and the cover art is reversible (image).

THE KILLER is available at Poker Industries.