The Killing (1956)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay)
Jim Thompson (dialogue)

Release Date:

6 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Film-Noir

Tagline:

These 5 Men Had a $2,000,000 Secret Until One of them told this Woman!

Plot:

Crooks plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.

Plot Keywords:

Racetrack | Robbery | Airport | Heist | Dog

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Sterling Hayden	...	Johnny Clay
Coleen Gray	...	Fay
Vince Edwards	...	Val Cannon
Jay C. Flippen	...	Marvin Unger
Ted de Corsia	...	Policeman Randy Kennan (as Ted DeCorsia)
Marie Windsor	...	Sherry Peatty
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	George Peatty (as Elisha Cook)
Joe Sawyer	...	Mike O'Reilly
James Edwards	...	Track Parking Attendant
Timothy Carey	...	Nikki Arcane
Kola Kwariani	...	Maurice Oboukhoff
Jay Adler	...	Leo the Loanshark
Tito Vuolo	...	Joe Piano - motel manager
Dorothy Adams	...	Mrs. Ruthie O'Reilly
Herbert Ellis	...	2nd American Airlines Clerk

Also Known As:

Bed of Fear (USA) (working title)
Clean Break (USA) (working title)
Day of Violence (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1956) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-15 (2003) | Finland:K-16 (1960) (cut) | Spain:T | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Norway:16 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Ireland:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #17836) (original rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bay Meadows Racetrack - 2600 S. Delaware Street, San Mateo, California, USA

Company:

Harris-Kubrick Productions

Trivia:

Marie Windsor landed the part of Sherry Peatty after Kubrick saw her performance in The Narrow Margin (1952).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the parking lot attendant hands Nikki a horse shoe, he holds the round part in one shot and the end in the next.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: At exactly 3:45 on that Saturday afternoon in the last week of September, Marvin Unger was, perhaps, the only one among the hundred thousand people at the track who felt no thrill at the running of the fifth race. He was totally disinterested in horse racing and held a lifelong contempt for gambling...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stanley's Girlfriend (2006)

Really fantastic film noir

Nowadays, every dang films from studios are being beef up to epic size length. To be honest, I find this very dull and pointless and too many filler scenes, which aren't necessary at all. The Killing is great example of keep it short and sweet with no fat on it. It's just straight to the point and no complicated plot twists over plot twists over plot twists like modern hesist film. Kubrick's direction is very brilliant in this film.

It's very straightfoward, even if it's in nonlinear sequences, which is very unique for its time. Nowadays, too many films are use nonlinear sequences to add gimmicky appeal to the audiences, which is waste of time. Sterling Hayden is wonderful as Johnny Clay, who is the mastermind of the hesist plan. He should have get nomination for Academy Awards because no one can play that character like Hayden. It is seldom to watch nice and taut film that is clocked approximately 90 minutes.

This film have all basic elements of film noir, which is one of my favorite genre. You can see Kubrick's signatures began to show in this film, i.e. 3 ways enemies. Kubrick is the star of The Killing, that's for sure. The directors who want to make a hesist film should learn from The Killing because it's outstanding film. One of the best hesist film of all time.

****/****