KILLERS Blu-ray Review

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In Tokyo, Nomura Shuhei is a regular executive except for one little thing: he records himself killing people and uploads the murders to the Internet. One of his followers is a journalist named Bayu Aditya. He is consumed with bringing down a corrupt politician name Dharma, no matter the cost. He ends up ruining his career and marriage in trying to uncover the truth. When Bayu turns his attention to the murders on the Internet, he wants to know the reasons why someone would do these horrific acts. He needs the reasons and answers so much, that he begins to become like Nomura, but in all the wrong ways.

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The film is directed by The Mo Brothers who have made the movie MACABRE and a segment in the movie V/H/S 2. They have a way of making the horrors you see on film be gruesome but cinematic at the same time. That’s exactly what they’ve done here. KILLERS falls into the same genre as the SAW and HOSTEL movies. The Mo Brothers almost try to romanticize the killings so that you don’t feel like what they’re doing is completely out of order.

The acting in this movie is natural and the interactions feel very organic. Kazuki Kitamura delivers a strong performance as the killer stuck in-between two lives. His mannerisms and personality fit in as both a snarky businessman and a deranged killer. The way that he plays it, it feels like his two “lives” are not that different from each other. The other standout performance is from Oka Antara. He plays the wounded but not defeated journalist with a grudge against the man who ruined his life. He has a desperation that he can’t seem to shake and with a bit of shame. They’re excellent choices for their roles.

Cast
Kazuki Kitamura as Nomura Shuhei
Oka Antara as Bayu Aditya
Rin Takanashi as Hisae Kawahara
Luna Maya as Dina Aditya
Ray Sahetapy as Dharma

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KILLERS has been authored in a 1080p AVC transfer that looks great. There is excellent contrasting throughout most of the film, but especially in Nomura’s seemingly pristine home. The director tends to pick locations and colors that bring out the brilliance as well as detailing. The colors have a natural warmth, but they’re not often exaggerated. Because red is a very common color in the movie, it tends to be the most vivid. Overall, this is a successful release from Well Go USA.

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The DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix’s language is, I believe, Indonesian. The track is bold and unforgiving, but in a good way. The bass pounds when the drama is up and the treble makes the effects sound clean. There is a scene in a car where there is incredibly loud gunfire in a very small space. Each of the bullets’ thuds are recreated like you are in the car being shot at. Also, the voices are clear and sound natural.

Supplements
The only extras on the Blu-ray are the trailer and previews from Well Go USA.

Bonus Features:
-Trailer
-Previews

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Disc Details
1 Blu-ray Disc

Running Time
137 mins

Edition Ratings
Not Rated

Region Coding
Region A

Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio Mixes
Indonesian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Indonesian Stereo 2.0

Subtitles
English

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KILLERS is a movie that is gruesome, but it isn’t unwatchable by any means. The plot is strong and the moments of suspense are done well. The release has excellent audio and superb video. It’s a movie that can easily rub shoulders with the likes of other top films in this genre and fans of Asian horror will enjoy it. I can easily recommend it.

Order your copy from Amazon

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About the author

MEDIA JOURNALIST | Michael is a fanatic about all both cinema old and new. He collects anything from 1:6 Scale, 1:12 Scale, and vinyl Collectibles plus Slipcovers and Steelbooks. He loves pop culture, writing, reviewing films & collectibles, and journalism. An avid Batman, The Joker and anything comics junkie, he will also chat it up about pretty much anything. Go ahead and ask...