When the Past Won’t Stay Buried

Read Time:4 Minute, 50 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
A Certain Killer/A Killers Key [Limited Edition]
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Genre: Action, Adventure
Year Released: 1967, Arrow Video Blu-ray 2025
Runtime: 1h 19m / 1h 20m
Director(s): Kazuo Mori
Writer(s): Yasuzō Masumura, Yoshihiro Ishimatsu / Mitsuo Otaki, Shinji Fujiwara
Cast: Raizō Ichikawa, Yumiko Nogawa, Mikio Narita, Mayumi Nagisa, Asao Koike, Saburo Date, Sachiko Kobayashi, Chikara Hashimoto, Tatsuo Matsushita / Raizō Ichikawa, Kō Nishimura, Tomomi Satō, Isao Yamagata, Ichirō Nakatani, Yoshio Kaneuchi, Asao Uchida, Saburo Date, Kōichi Itō, Kazuo Mortuchi, Yoshitaka Ito
Where To Watch: available February 11, 2025; order your copy here: www.arrowvideo.com, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Some crime thrillers embrace spectacle, while others thrive in silence. A CERTAIN KILLER and its follow-up, A KILLER’S KEY, take the latter approach, distilling the genre to its rawest form. With their measured pacing and razor-sharp tension, these films reject excess in favor of quiet menace. Under the direction of Kazuo Mori, a filmmaker primarily known for his jidaigeki work, both movies carve out their own space within the crime thriller landscape. Less flashy than Seijun Suzuki’s BRANDED TO KILL, yet just as deliberate, they explore with restraint, each movement as calculated as the assassins who inhabit their world.

At the center of both films is Raizō Ichikawa, shedding his typical samurai persona to embody a killer who moves through life with cold efficiency. In A CERTAIN KILLER, he is Shiozaki, a seemingly humble sushi chef whose true calling is assassination. His methods are unsettlingly precise—poisoned needles, swift and silent takedowns—executed with the same detached precision as his work behind the counter. For him, killing isn’t about power or bloodlust; it’s a matter of survival, a skill honed to perfection.

Yet, no world of calculated violence remains undisturbed for long. Shiozaki’s carefully maintained existence is shaken when Keiko (Yumiko Nogawa) enters his world. She is unpredictable, emotional where he is cold, reckless where he is methodical. Their interactions never veer into conventional romance but expose something raw beneath his hardened exterior. In a profession where detachment is necessary, her presence is a liability—one that could cost him everything.

When the story shifts to A KILLER’S KEY, Shiozaki has again adapted, now masquerading as Nitta, a traditional dance instructor. The sequel shifts focus from smaller-level disputes to high-stakes corporate and political intrigue, pulling him into a power struggle where deception is as deadly as any weapon. The tension remains suffocating, but the scope widens, revealing a world where a single misstep doesn’t just mean death—it means being erased. If A CERTAIN KILLER painted a picture of a man operating in the shadows of the underworld, A KILLER’S KEY throws him into a different kind of danger—one where he is pitted against forces that wield influence as effectively as he wields a blade.

Mori’s direction, paired with the cinematography of Kazuo Miyagawa, ensures that the atmosphere is just as deep as the action. Both films eschew the neon-soaked glamour often associated with yakuza cinema in favor of stark realism. Gritty cityscapes, dimly lit alleys, and quiet, desolate spaces serve as the backdrop for these stories, reinforcing the idea that Shiozaki is a man who exists on the periphery—never truly belonging, never safe. Shadows become an extension of the character, swallowing him whole in moments of introspection or paranoia.

Neither film relies on elaborate set pieces to drive the tension. Instead, they use silence as a weapon. Every movement, every glance, carries weight. Ichikawa’s performance is a masterclass in restraint. His character never needs to deliver monologues or engage in showy displays of dominance. His presence alone commands unease. This minimalist approach only heightens the tension, forcing the audience to lean into every small gesture and unspoken moment.

When A KILLER’S KEY concludes, it refuses to offer easy answers. There is no grand catharsis, no dramatic redemption arc—only a man playing a game with no end. These films do not seek to glamorize their protagonist, nor do they condemn him. They simply present him as he is: a man who exists in a world where survival depends on adaptation, where identities are disposable, and where attachment is the greatest weakness.

As a dual release from Arrow Video, together, they form a gripping, slow-burn exploration of crime, identity, and the consequences of life in the margins. A CERTAIN KILLER and A KILLER’S KEY stand apart from their flashier counterparts by proving that sometimes, the most dangerous figures are the ones who move in silence.

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[photo courtesy of ARROW VIDEO, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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