A Certain Killer (1967) (2024)

Popular reviews

• Review by Thornhill ★★★½

  Stilistisch wie inhaltlich stark an den großen Werken Jean-Pierre Melvilles angelehnt. Kazuo Mori trat überwiegend als Serienfilm-Regisseur (Zatoichi, Bad Reputation, Shinobi no Mono) in Erscheinung und schuf mit dem Certain Killer ein kleines aber feines Yakuza-Triller-Drama.

• Review by Enfant du Siècle ★★★★

  A good story about a hitman who becomes involved in intrigue, betrayal and foul play. The premise is simple but executed well and meticulously; at times it is reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Melville's crime thrillers (curiously Le Samouraï was released in the same year). Raizō Ichikawa is magnificent as Shiozawa, the elegant, solitary and cool assassin, a modern samurai who lives by his own rules and unbreakable code of honour.

• Review by 𝕮arlos ★★★½

  A more downbeat approach to the hitman film and while it’s not ridden with bloodshed, its got class. Shiozawa‘s a lone wolf, strong silent type, and Raizō Ichikawa is a block of ice in this role. Justthe way he maneuvers in this role he’s way too cool and embodies it. His supporting characters make this worth the watch as their personas are more loud, while he is very reserved. It makes the plot thicker, and while some of it felt non-linear, once you get to the final act it’s rewarding.

  Will definitely be watching its sequel, A Killer’s Key.This was a hard one to find, and very happy I was able to watch it.

  via Plex

• Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★½

  Melancholic hitman drama. Immersive observation of the comes and goings of the job, lots of macho bluster, some loneliness and long discussions about the ethics of work. Main characters relationships plays off each othr strong as the movie passes through its three main plots. Terrific Raizo Ichikawa lead performance. Co-writen by Yasuzo Masumara, I assume he probably were set to direct at some point, but action specialist Kazuo Mori does a good stylish job with plenty of Melville echoes.

• Review by Dmitry_Karpyuk ★★★½

  Опытный ассасин берет на очередное дело сомнительных помощников. Был уверен, что смотрел этот фильм, но оказалось, что перепутал с каким-то другим японским про киллера в солнцезащитных очках. Очень стильно и изящно, похоже не только на Мельвиля, но и на Blast of Silence, только в характерной для Страны Восходящего Солнца манере.
  Оценил нелинейность структуры и приятную музыку.

• Review by DepresedBergman ★★★

  Its very interesting that this movie got released only months before "Le Samouraï" (1967). The plots are not similar, but the protagonists' nihilistic worldview and moral code have a striking resemblance. One could also pick up the Film-Noir influences while watching this. Raizô Ichikawa's calm demeanour throughout the movie amazed me. I didn't think for a second he would be so good in a role like this. Amazing actor.

• Review by Nick ★★★★½

  Noirvember 2023 Lazy Quickie Reviews #94

  Has a ton going for in terms of pace, style, characters, and effectiveness, but none of its many virtues top Yumiko Nogawa as Manic Pixie Femme Fatale.

• Review by assayf ★★★★

  Такое ощущение, что посмотрел какой-то фильм Мельвиля, только с азиатами вместо Делона и компании. Нелинейное повествование - наверное единственное, что как-то роднит этот фильм с любым другим японским кинопродуктом своего времени. Я почему-то ожидал беспредела и готовился к худшему. Вероятно этому поспособстовало известное промо-фото, которое везде выдают за постер к фильму. Нет, герой Итикавы совсем не брутален, что, на самом деле, пугает ещё больше: тихий человек с застенчевой полуулыбкой сейчас кормит тебя жареной рыбкой, а через пару часов, на другом конце города втыкает иглу в шею очередному "клиенту". Исключительно мужское кино, поэтому изрядная доля мизогинии здесь необходима как воздух. И она есть.

• Review by The Movie Matt ★★★★½

  Where have you been all my life? And while I'm at it, why don't more people talk about this film? It's a slick and cool 1960s hitman film with plenty of nuanced atmosphere and some stellar performances. It feels like a modern Johnnie To film, but with 60s Japanese yakuza aesthetic.

  Yeah, this is definitely one of the diamond finds of the month.

• Review by bbbgtoby ★★★½

  Pales in comparison to Shunji Fujiwara's other existential hitman neo-noir adaptation from 1967, A Colt is My Passport, because it's simply just not as cool despite everything the Raizô Ichikawa starring poster would like you to believe, but is still a mighty fine example of the quality of Japanese crime cinema in the 60s. Our chef turned hitman protagonist is cool and he is very detached, all his emotions seem so repressed he could be English, except I don't think the Poms have ever created a hitman who could just shut his cockney mouth and get on with the job like Ichikawa does here.

• Review by Antonio Orrico ★★★★ 4

  Se la Francia ha "Le Samourai" e Melville e gli USA hanno John Boorman e "Point Blank", Mori in Giappone si inserisce nello stesso solco con "A Certain Killer", con un noir che fa della sospensione dell'attesa e soprattutto degli stacchi di montaggio improvvisi (come quello, splendido, che passa dal plongée delle pistole ad uno sfondo blu nel meraviglioso incipit) la sua maggiore peculiarità. Ma rispetto alla freddezza degli altri due film già citati, Mori riesce a innestare nel film un meccanismo quasi favolistico all'interno del rapporto tra uomo e donna, un meccanismo abbastanza singolare che sarà ripreso poi da altri noir molto più conosciuti, tra cui sicuramente "Léon" di Luc Besson, e che soprattutto riesce a sfruttare al meglio lo script di Masumura, dandogli un'eleganza formale e stilistica che sarà poi appendice di molti altri noir degli anni '70.

• Review by caiomascheronix ★★★★

  Tava procurando esse filme há mais de dois anos e não existe nenhum link na internet pra download, em site nenhum, nenhum seeder nos torrents, pouca informação sobre, até que cinco dias atrás alguém upa o filme completo no youtube em qualidade decente e legendado. Nem todo herói usa capa. Eternamente agradecido a XTUBEc0.21!

  Um noir de assassino de aluguel sisudo com uma ambientação densa e direção estilosa do Kazuo Mori, que eu não conhecia, mas com certeza vou correr atrás de mais trabalhos dele.