| Special Features: |
DISC ONE: 4K ULTRA HD — FEATURE FILM
- NEW Audio Commentary with Director John Woo and Film Journalist Drew Tayler (2025) - this track features a very chatty Woo discussing The Killer and various aspects of its production. It is moderated by Tayler, who wisely lets Woo do much of the talking. There are a few occasions in which Woo doesn't fully comprehend what Tayler is asking him. Tayler largely lets Woo speak about what he wants on the track. But there are some gaps. Tayler could have filled these moments of dead air had he prepared additional questions. Woo covers some of the same material he has in interviews and other commentaries but he brings in lots of retrospective reflections. Woo and Tayler stop talking around the start of the end titles. Woo's voice is raspy but I still could understand him in full. In English, not subtitled.
- NEW Audio Commentary by Critic and Author David West (2025) - this feature-length track is sociocultural and HK film-industry centric. West envisages some of The Killer's story events as either cinematic manifestations of or commentary on incidents that occurred at the Tiananmen Square massacre. He also spends chunks of his track examining the influence Le Samouraï (1967) has had on Woo. West additionally analyzes the aesthetic differences between the Melville picture and The Killer. Moreover, he discusses characteristics of the Yakuza and wuxia he sees in The Killer and Woo's oeuvre. In English, not subtitled.
- Audio Commentary by Director John Woo and Producer Terence Chang (1993) - this running commentary was recorded by The Criterion Collection for its initial LaserDisc edition. It is hosted by an unnamed moderator, who introduces and reintroduces the two filmmakers prior to their remarks. Woo's thoughts and his presentation of topics are more clearly articulated and better organized than the track he recorded this year. He acknowledges the influence that various Scorsese films has had on his work. He demonstrates this by specifying particular movies and then describing how shot composition, scene construction, et al. shaped how he photographed and edited The Killer. Woo is also very open about his filmmaking ideas and how he executed them. Terence Chang addresses various logistical challenges he and the crew faced while making the picture. He also broaches the locations and their filming conditions. This track has some gaps but is very informative. In English, not subtitled.
DISC TWO: BLU-RAY — FEATURE FILM
- NEW Audio Commentary with Director John Woo and Film Journalist Drew Tayler (2025) - this track features a very chatty Woo discussing The Killer and various aspects of its production. It is moderated by Tayler, who wisely lets Woo do much of the talking. There are a few occasions in which Woo doesn't fully comprehend what Tayler is asking him. Tayler largely lets Woo speak about what he wants on the track. But there are some gaps. Tayler could have filled these moments of dead air had he prepared additional questions. Woo covers some of the same material he has in interviews and other commentaries but he brings in lots of retrospective reflections. Woo and Tayler stop talking around the start of the end titles. Woo's voice is raspy but I still could understand him in full. In English, not subtitled.
- NEW Audio Commentary by Critic and Author David West (2025) - this feature-length track is sociocultural and HK film-industry centric. West envisages some of The Killer's story events as either cinematic manifestations of or commentary on incidents that occurred at the Tiananmen Square massacre. He also spends chunks of his track examining the influence Le Samouraï (1967) has had on Woo. West additionally analyzes the aesthetic differences between the Melville picture and The Killer. Moreover, he discusses characteristics of the Yakuza and wuxia he sees in The Killer and Woo's oeuvre. In English, not subtitled.
- Audio Commentary by Director John Woo and Producer Terence Chang (1993) - this running commentary was recorded by The Criterion Collection for its initial LaserDisc edition. It is hosted by an unnamed moderator, who introduces and reintroduces the two filmmakers prior to their remarks. Woo's thoughts and his presentation of topics are more clearly articulated and better organized than the track he recorded this year. He acknowledges the influence that various Scorsese films has had on his work. He demonstrates this by specifying particular movies and then describing how shot composition, scene construction, et al. shaped how he photographed and edited The Killer. Woo is also very open about his filmmaking ideas and how he executed them. Terence Chang addresses various logistical challenges he and the crew faced while making the picture. He also broaches the locations and their filming conditions. This track has some gaps but is very informative. In English, not subtitled.
DISC THREE: BLU-RAY — SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW The Hero of Heroic Bloodshed: A John Woo Documentary (2025) (1:14:19, 1080p) - this feature-length documentary directed by Naomi Holwill primarily concentrates on A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, and Hard Boiled. The doc's last section touches on Woo's Hollywood films in the '90s and early 2000s as well as his later productions in the 2010s and early 2020s. The program features new interviews with academic Luke White, film critic James Mudge, Woo himself, film historian Kim Newman, producer Lori Tilkin de Felice, academic Chen Yu-Lin, stuntman Bruce Law, academic Victor Fan, producer Michael Colleary, writer Mike Werb, and director Roel Reiné. Bruce Law speaks in Cantonese, which is accompanied by English subtitles. All other participants speak in English.
- NEW A Bullet Ballet – An Interview with Director John Woo (2025) (44:45, 1080p) - this recent sit-down with Woo finds the filmmaker musing about the preliminary ideas he had for The Killer and how he developed the relationship between the title character and HK police inspector. Woo also talks about his working relationship with Chow Yan Fat. He discusses how action scenes were designed and how the actors pulled them off. Woo additionally speaks about the contributions of his assistants on set, composer Lowell Lo, and other actors that appeared in The Killer. In English, not subtitled.
- NEW My Kind of Hero – An Interview with Producer Terence Chang (2025) (6:06, 1080p) - Chang briefly goes over The Killer's budget, the filming period, the movie's locales, and Chow Yan Fat's performance. It's particularly interesting to hear him tell of the 20-minute sequence he used to pitch the film to investors at the Cannes Film Festival. Chang describes the differences between A Better Tomorrow and The Killer that he sees. He explains where the latter fits in Woo's career. In English, not subtitled.
- NEW Editing THE KILLER – An Interview with Editor David Wu (2025) (11:58, 1080p) - Wu clarifies that he served as music editor on The Killer (and was not involved in the creation of the musical cues). He explains how he edited the main theme for use in the film. Wu discusses a Taiwanese folk song featured in one scene and how he employed musical counterpoint. He also covers the musical selection process and changes he made. In English, not subtitled.
- NEW Hong Kong Confidential – An Inside Look at The Killer with Grady Hendrix (2025) (11:32, 1080p) - Hendrix speaks about the character inspiration Woo used for the basis of The Killer. He also presents on Woo's initial acting considerations and the roles eventually delivered by Chow Yan Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, and other actors. He discusses some of the crew members, too. Hendrix describes Woo's filmmaking inspirations, which he paid homage to in the film. In addition, editing alterations that Woo made. He also devotes some airtime to character portrayals and themes of the picture. Especially illuminating in this program are the perceptions of Hong Kong police at the time the film was made. In English, not subtitled.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes (11:40, 1080p) - this diverse compilation of excised footage is preceded by a prefatory note about general scenes missing from the Hong Kong cut of the film. The footage is of varying quality. Scenes are presented in either 1.33:1 or 1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The former AR is VHS quality. The scenes come with either dual Mandarin/English subtitles or just English subs. There is static, pops, and crackles on the audio track. Footage is interesting to see. Some is extra snippets that were dropped from the HK version.
- Trailers (6:02 altogether, 1080p) - a reel comprised of two trailers. First is a HK trailer presented in about 1.85:1 (16x9 enhanced) and accompanied by native Cantonese with English subs. The second is a US trailer that carries the Circle Films logo. It is of lesser quality. This contains critics' quotes which a narrator reads.
- Image Gallery (6:30, 1080p) - a moving slide show of about 78 high-res images from various ad campaigns that promoted The Killer in mainly European and Asian markets. A majority of the stills consist of lobby cards. There are some poster reproductions (including one-sheets for the American theatrical run) towards the end of the show.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
- Booklet - an illustrated 52-page booklet with new essays on The Killer and Woo's work by Grady Hendrix, Victor Fan, Calum Waddell, and Brandon Bentley. Each is worth reading. Waddell's piece is annotated with bibliographic entries.
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