IMDb > Killer's Kiss (1955)
Killer's Kiss
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Killer's Kiss (1955) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   5,963 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writer:

Stanley Kubrick (story)
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Contact:

View company contact information for Killer's Kiss on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

1 October 1955 (USA) more

Tagline:

Her Soft Mouth Was the Road to Sin-Smeared Violence!

Plot:

As a man waits at a train station for his girl, he tells us about the recent past and we segue into a long flashback. full summary | full synopsis

Awards:

1 win more

NewsDesk:
(2 articles)

'Killer's Kiss' Still Has Punch
 (From New York Post. 17 June 2009, 11:27 PM, PDT)

Lots of horrific screenings around the U.S. and UK!
 (From Fangoria. 8 May 2009, 1:54 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

A early start to Kubrick's fantastic career. more (73 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Frank Silvera ... Vincent Rapallo
Jamie Smith ... Davey Gordon
Irene Kane ... Gloria Price
Jerry Jarrett ... Albert (the fight manager)
Mike Dana ... Gangster
Felice Orlandi ... Gangster
Shaun O'Brien
Barbara Brand
Skippy Adelman ... Mannequin factory owner (as Julius Adelman)
David Vaughan ... Conventioneer
Alec Rubin ... Conventioneer

Ralph Roberts ... Gangster
Phil Stevenson ... Gangster
Arthur Feldman
Bill Funaro
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:

Kiss Me, Kill Me (USA) (working title)
more

Runtime:

67 min | Japan:43 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Working with practically no budget and largely without on-location filming permits, Stanley Kubrick had to remain unnoticed while shooting in the nation's busiest city, sometimes secretly shooting from a nearby vehicle. more

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Dave is reading the letter on the subway, the narration of the letter obviously very different from what is written on the page. more

Quotes:

Vincent Rapallo: Like the man said, "Can happiness buy money?" more

Movie Connections:

References La regina di Saba (1952) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
A early start to Kubrick's fantastic career., 12 February 2000
9/10
Author: Marc-David Jacobs from Portland, Oregon, United States

With 3 short films and a feature (Fear And Desire [1953]) under his belt, none of which had received any notice (in fact, Kubrick bought up all of the existing prints of Fear And Desire, because he thought it was poorly done [not to mention that it was being billed as a sexploitation film]), Kubrick decided to try out something new. He decided to go with Film-Noir.

The film is filled with Kubrick trademarks through and through. He uses boxing (which was the subject of his very first short Day of the Fight [1951]), zooming techniques, flashbacks (also used in his next film The Killing [1956]) and narration. The cinematography is exquisite, as usual, with many shots (particularly in the boxing studio and the train station) being backlit with a soft, grey light to give it a disconnected, almost rear-screen-projection feel. However, it is obvious that this is the early, naive Kubrick at work here. The entire movie, like Fear And Desire, is post-dubbed (much like a Fellini film), with all of the sound effects being done over by a meticulous Kubrick. And, of course, the Film-Noir. Davey Gordon (played to perfection by Jamie Smith) is the almost-stereotypical Noir anti-hero, with Irene Kane (aka journalist Chris Chase) as his anti-heroine. Frank Silvera, who had the lead role in Fear And Desire, is the slimy villain, whom you actually want to die (a good sign [for a villain]).

This Kubrick film can most be compared to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or Barry Lyndon (1975), in that, once you get past a slow beginning, the end is absolutely riveting. Kubrick knows that he wants to grab his audience, and he does so with perfection. Some of it is padded (the ballet sequence is not particular interest), but the rest it great, from the initial boxing sequence to the chase scene at the end. If you're a fan of Kubrick, see it. If you're a fan of great cinema, see it. If you're a fan of Film-Noir, see it (but take it with a pinch of salt). If you're none of these things, see it, and you will be.

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Kubrick's UA films (a what if?) pikachu_fan_number_9
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