If you've read Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers", it may be hard to fathom how this short story could be turned into a feature film. It's just not long enough. 1946's Clifford Siodmak adaptation therefore chooses to EXPLAIN how the "Swede" got himself into the kind of trouble that would bring a couple of hit men to the tiny town where he's been living the simple life of a gas station attendant for years. And while it's strong Noir (well scripted, well shot, with a strong performance by Burt Lancaster as the doomed man), it's also chock full of Noir CLICHÉS. You have the boxer turned criminal, the femme fatale, the insurance investigator, the convoluted scheme... Something of a greatest hits album, which I didn't feel respected Hemingway's written dissection of masculinity - that a man might just face the music because it's the "manly" thing to do. I'm not making a judgment on Hemingway's masculine ideal, only that it doesn't really figure in The Killers' "solution". But those first couple scenes, straight outta the story, are really good, with real menace coming off the title characters... who sadly then disappear from the narrative for most of its length. Proposes a good mystery, but leaves me a little ambivalent about its conclusions.
excellent noir,Burt Lancaster making his film debut played his part brilliantly,Edmond O'Brien always good ,and Ava Gardner would brighten up any film noir,she looked very hot in this one.
Terrific entry in the genre, with lots of great shots and long takes. Love the opening sequence in the diner. And yeah, Gardner's not hard on the eyes, either.
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Siskoid
If you've read Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers", it may be hard to fathom how this short story could be turned into a feature film. It's just not long enough. 1946's Clifford Siodmak adaptation therefore chooses to EXPLAIN how the "Swede" got himself into the kind of trouble that would bring a couple of hit men to the tiny town where he's been living the simple life of a gas station attendant for years. And while it's strong Noir (well scripted, well shot, with a strong performance by Burt Lancaster as the doomed man), it's also chock full of Noir CLICHÉS. You have the boxer turned criminal, the femme fatale, the insurance investigator, the convoluted scheme... Something of a greatest hits album, which I didn't feel respected Hemingway's written dissection of masculinity - that a man might just face the music because it's the "manly" thing to do. I'm not making a judgment on Hemingway's masculine ideal, only that it doesn't really figure in The Killers' "solution". But those first couple scenes, straight outta the story, are really good, with real menace coming off the title characters... who sadly then disappear from the narrative for most of its length. Proposes a good mystery, but leaves me a little ambivalent about its conclusions.deckard.
quite overrated. dull performances don't help either.corchap
Ava Gardner makes a wonderful two-timing dameAlso- note the 'dum dah dum dum' theme was written for this film
duchin6
excellent noir,Burt Lancaster making his film debut played his part brilliantly,Edmond O'Brien always good ,and Ava Gardner would brighten up any film noir,she looked very hot in this one.Hippiemans
Beautiful cinematography, great story, in short an excellent film noir.armyofshadows
AWESOMEsteamRobot
Love the opening scene with the two killers in the diner. Not sure about Ava Gardner, found her chin distracting.fetzu
Capitalism at its apex.Also, a very good noir.
Skyscore
http://www.afisha.ru/movie/175408/review/154917/Dieguito
One of the best noirs!contrafugal
For a dude with a broken hand he sure punched a lot of dudes.Awesome!
MrE2Me
Terrific entry in the genre, with lots of great shots and long takes. Love the opening sequence in the diner. And yeah, Gardner's not hard on the eyes, either.Henry K Hurtin
Revolutionary heist-scene in this one. Taken in one shot.akuma587
One of the essential noirs. Ava Gardner is wicked hot too.