On December 2, 2025, Shout is releasing the 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray for The Killer (Hong Kong Cinema Classics Spine #18), a 1989 John Woo masterpiece starring Chow Yun-fat (Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow) as a jaded assassin who takes on what he intends to be his final assignment.
When the contract with his employers turns into a double-cross, he must face off against criminals and cops alike, leading to an incendiary dance of death and vengeance. Bullets fly and bodies drop in a film that has been rightfully lauded as one of the most spectacular action movies ever made, and one whose influence on cinema is unquestioned.
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With Director John Woo And Film Journalist Drew Tayler
NEW Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West
Audio Commentary With Director John Woo And Producer Terence Chang (Recorded By The Criterion Collection)
DISC THREE (BONUS DISC – BLU-RAY):
NEW “The Hero Of Heroic Bloodshed: A John Woo Documentary” – A Feature Length Documentary On The Cinema Of Hong Kong’s Iconic Director, Featuring New Interviews With John Woo, Stuntman Bruce Law , Producer Michael Colleary, Writer Mike Werb, Producer Lori Tilkin de Felice, Director Roel Reiné, And Many More!
NEW “A Bullet Ballet” – An Interview With Director John Woo
NEW “My Kind Of Hero” – An Interview With Producer Terence Chang
NEW “Editing The Killer” – An Interview With Editor David Wu
NEW “Hong Kong Confidential” – An Inside The Killer With Author Grady Hendrix
Looks pretty nice. It’ll be interesting to hear Woo’s new commentary and how it compares to the ones he did for Criterion and Fox Lorber/Winsar. He was asked to do the commentary for the HKL release but turned it down back then. I’m sure he has some new insights.
I was lucky to catch a 4K screening of The Killer in my town, and it was great. The picture and sound were crystal clear and seeing all the balletic carnage on a huge screen made me feel spoiled.
The subtitles were good for the most part and somewhat similar to HKL’s on their DVD release (Without the British flair), but there were still a few spelling and grammatical errors. I suspected that some lines may not have been properly translated, and I’m wondering if these same subtitles will be on the Blu Ray. For example, “missed” is misspelled as “mishited.”
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Looks pretty nice. It’ll be interesting to hear Woo’s new commentary and how it compares to the ones he did for Criterion and Fox Lorber/Winsar. He was asked to do the commentary for the HKL release but turned it down back then. I’m sure he has some new insights.
“Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West” with or and? =)
But will Woo comment on that other Killer with Omar Sy? 🙂
But will Woo comment on that other Once A Thief with Sandrine Holt? =)
Another “casual” cover…
I was lucky to catch a 4K screening of The Killer in my town, and it was great. The picture and sound were crystal clear and seeing all the balletic carnage on a huge screen made me feel spoiled.
The subtitles were good for the most part and somewhat similar to HKL’s on their DVD release (Without the British flair), but there were still a few spelling and grammatical errors. I suspected that some lines may not have been properly translated, and I’m wondering if these same subtitles will be on the Blu Ray. For example, “missed” is misspelled as “mishited.”
But it was a great night.
Theatrical trailer. https://youtu.be/UBjnv3C-g5o?si=apNtaGvAcQfSJHhr