In 1989, director John Woo was flying excessive after the success of “A Higher Tomorrow” and “A Higher Tomorrow II,” two balletic odes to excessive violence that crystallized Woo’s fashion after virtually 20 years within the Hong Kong movie business. With extra clout and management than he had ever had earlier than, Woo knew he was in a privileged place — and he exploited it for all it was price by following the “Higher Tomorrow” movies with one of many biggest and most influential motion movies of all time.
That movie, “The Killer,” is a one-of-a-kind mash-up between melodrama (it takes its plot largely from Douglas Sirk’s “Magnificent Obsession”), thriller, and musical. The movie follows an murderer (Chow Yun-fat at his most iconic) as he fends off an limitless sequence of foes whereas attempting to boost cash to save lots of the eyesight of the girl (Sally Yeh) he blinded in a gunfight. Woo marries relentless sentiment (in each the love story and the male friendships) with kinetic violence that performs like Sam Peckinpah cranked as much as 10, and the result’s pure cinematic delirium — a film full of impeccably orchestrated wall-to-wall motion that’s additionally loopily, gloriously romantic.
To name “The Killer” a musical is barely deceptive, as other than a recurring tune that performs endlessly all through the movie, there aren’t any musical numbers within the literal sense. However Woo levels his motion sequences with the grace and fluidity of an incredible Vincente Minnelli set piece, making the gunfights much less acts of violence than of pure aesthetic exhilaration and wonder. It’s onerous now, after 37 years of Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and different administrators paying homage to Woo, to acknowledge simply how revolutionary Woo’s fashion felt in 1989, however even after all of the imitations and tributes, “The Killer” hasn’t misplaced its energy to dazzle.
Now “The Killer” is headed for a limited-edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray launch from Arrow Videothat includes a brand new restoration of the film and an abundance of supplementary options. There aren’t any fewer than 4 audio commentaries, two archival and two model new, that includes Woo, producer Terence Chang, critic David West, and journalist Drew Taylor; there’s additionally a feature-length documentary on Woo and his profession, deleted and prolonged scenes, new interviews with Woo and his collaborators, in addition to Woo fanatic Grady Hendrix, and a number of classic featurettes.
Better of all, an extra Blu-ray options the Taiwanese lower of “The Killer,” which runs 130 minutes and comprises 20 minutes of footage barely seen by American audiences. All of this materials is collected in a bundle that features six postcard-sized replica artwork playing cards, a double-sided foldout poster that includes unique and newly commissioned art work by Tony Stella, and a booklet that includes new writing on the movie by critics Priscilla Web page and Frank Djeng, archival writing by critic Rafik Djoumi, and an excerpt from an interview with John Woo performed by Stéphane Moïssakis.
“The Killer” arrives on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Arrow Video on April 20. Watch the brand new trailer, an IndieWire unique, under.