Killers (2014 film)

In Tokyo, a serial killer is murdering women and posting his violent crimes on-line. In Jakarta, a rogue vigilante uploads his murdering spree for the world to see. A psychotic game of cat and mouse ensues as the two men battle for notoriety. Soon it becomes clear that it's only a matter of time until the two killers square off face to face.[1]

• Kazuki Kitamura as Nomura Shuhei
• Oka Antara as Bayu Aditya
• Rin Takanashi as Hisae Kawahara
• Luna Maya as Dina Aditya, Bayu's wife
• Ray Sahetapy as Dharma
• Ersya Aurelia as Elly Aditya
• Epy Kusnandar as Robert
• Mei Kurokawa as Midori
• Denden as Jyukai's father
• Motoki Fukami as Officer Muroi
• Tara Basro as Dewi
• Dimas Argobie as Dharma's son

The film is a co-production between Indonesia's Guerilla Merah Films and Japan's Nikkatsu in association with XYZ Films, marking the first feature film co-production between Japan and Indonesia.[3] Tjahjanto mentioned in an interview that the idea for the film came from Ushiyama who, upon viewing the duo's breakout hit Macabre, proposed a slasher story involving two masked killers competing to kill people on the internet.[4]

The film's production also involved contributions from Gareth Evans' Merantau Films, Million Pictures, and Daniel Mananta's DAMN! I Love Indonesia Movies.[5]

Killers premiered in the Park City Midnight section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in January 20 as an official selection.[4] It then received a theatrical release in Japan on February 1 and in Indonesia in February 6.[6] In the following months, the film was screened in multiple international film festivals.[6] It was subsequently purchased for distribution in several top markets, including Germany by Tiberius Film GmbH, France by Wild Side Films, Turkey by Calinos Films, Hong Kong by Sundream Motion Pictures, United Kingdom by Lionsgate, North America by Well Go USA Entertainment, and Australia & New Zealand by Vendetta Films.[7] Well Go USA Entertainment released the film in limited screens on January 23, 2015[8] and on DVD & Blu-ray on April 7, 2015.[9]

There are few differences between the Indonesian, Japanese, and International theatrical versions. The Indonesian version has been edited with scenes containing excessive violence and nudity being removed or softened to comply with local censorship regulations, while the Japanese and International theatrical versions contains scenes omitted from the Indonesian version.[10]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% score based on 15 verified reviews as of February 2021, indicating generally favorable reviews.[11] In a positive review, Martin Tsai of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "This seemingly generic thriller has plenty of twists in store, but perhaps none as surprising and impressive as its ability to manipulate the viewer–first to side with the villains, then to question one's own core beliefs."[12] Conversely, Simon Abrams of The Village Voice called the film an "amateurishly realized sensationalism", criticizing Nomura's and Bayu's characters as "generically morbid sociopaths with way too much time, and blood, on their hands".[13]

• Killers at IMDb
• Killers (2015) at Rotten Tomatoes
• Killers international site
• Killers Japanese site
• Nikkatsu official site