This is a terrific film noir from a period when it seemed every other movie being made was a film noir. But "The Killers" deserves its reputation as one of the best examples of the genre.
The film is based on one of the only pieces of writing Ernest Hemingway wrote that I actually liked, a short story in which a man in a diner overhears two hit men talking about a murder. For the film, the screenwriters fill out the story, adding narrative threads and characters to create one of your typically twisted and intricate hard-boiled thrillers. But what stands out about this film is not its story, but rather its style and its cast.
Robert Siodmak directs with a fluid camera that doesn't waste a single shadow thrown by the moody lighting. And he's got a great cast to work with: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien. The more I see of Lancaster, the more I think he was a very gifted and even versatile actor. He's not asked to do a whole lot here, and it's a role any number of tough guy types from the same period could have handled just as well, but he gets the job done. Ava Gardner, like so many beauties from those days, couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, but these movies only demand that their leading ladies have looks and allure, and she's got both of these. Edmond O'Brien is really the stand out. He was a character actor who looked a lot like Humphrey Bogart, but never found his way to the leading man parts. He's in fine form here and carries the film.
A lot of fun--one of those movies you want to watch again to pick up all the great lines you missed the first time around. And film music buffs will instantly recognize the main theme.
Grade: A
The film is based on one of the only pieces of writing Ernest Hemingway wrote that I actually liked, a short story in which a man in a diner overhears two hit men talking about a murder. For the film, the screenwriters fill out the story, adding narrative threads and characters to create one of your typically twisted and intricate hard-boiled thrillers. But what stands out about this film is not its story, but rather its style and its cast.
Robert Siodmak directs with a fluid camera that doesn't waste a single shadow thrown by the moody lighting. And he's got a great cast to work with: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien. The more I see of Lancaster, the more I think he was a very gifted and even versatile actor. He's not asked to do a whole lot here, and it's a role any number of tough guy types from the same period could have handled just as well, but he gets the job done. Ava Gardner, like so many beauties from those days, couldn't act her way out of a paper bag, but these movies only demand that their leading ladies have looks and allure, and she's got both of these. Edmond O'Brien is really the stand out. He was a character actor who looked a lot like Humphrey Bogart, but never found his way to the leading man parts. He's in fine form here and carries the film.
A lot of fun--one of those movies you want to watch again to pick up all the great lines you missed the first time around. And film music buffs will instantly recognize the main theme.
Grade: A