The Killer (1972): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1972, The Killer is an action and crime film directed by Chor Yuen, running about 94 minutes.

What it’s about. Chiao Tzu Wei hires a killer under the premise that the local government (run by the local kung fu school) is corrupt and extorting the people of the town. The killer happens to be Hsieh Chun (aka Hsiao Hu) who left town ten years ago. (When Hsieh Chun opens up a suitcase full of knives, you know that there is going to be tons of killing!). Thinking that the local kung fu school is bad, he goes over there to fight them. There is some reuniting of lost friends and some love between two of them. The bad guys are constantly double crossing everyone and this leads to total mayhem and carnage. The final fight scene (which is actually several fight scenes going from one to the next) is incredible, especially the blood soaked finale between the evil Japanese leader of the opium ring and the two brothers.

Who’s in it. The Killer stars Chin Han as Inspector Ma, Chung Wah as Hsieh Chun/Hsiao Hu, Tsung Hua as Hsieh Chun/Hsiao Hu and Wang Ping as Yu Chiao/Xiao Mei, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, The Killer has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Killer page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Killer tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.