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Ubiytsy More at IMDbPro »

31 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
Acting and directing is somewhat superior to that of the opening scene in the 1946 version of The Killers., 5 February 2006

Author: Danny-Rodriguez from Norway

This is the best student film I have ever seen. Not only in directing but style also. It's black and white as every good film noir is. If you can call this short film noir or not though is up for discussion. This is a very faithful adaption of Ernest Hemingway's short story The Killers. And the way it's shot, cut and acted is truly remarkable. Especially in one scene when a man walks into the diner while the killers have Nick Adams and the cook tied up in the back. The whole scene plays out without any dialogue but with the customer whistling a happy tune while George makes him his sandwich. A very good scene.

The short has no soundtrack and doesn't need one either. With the situation and the dialogue it all speaks for itself. A very good short and worth the money I payed for it.

6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
shows Tarkovsky's incredible control of direction for the most part; surprisingly sharp Hemingway, 15 March 2007

Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

Although I did like the 1946 adaptation of the Killers, I wasn't sure how a Russian, let alone someone who is usually much more into the visual prowess of things like Andrei Tarkovsky, would tackle Ernest Hemingway's brief, pulpy story of men on a mission and a man in hiding from those men. Turns out it's one of the best short films I've seen from a soon-to-be world renown European auteur, because of it's emphasis on the simplicity of suspense, of human action in desperate circumstances and how it's filmed with a mix of the noir style and with Tarkovsky's dependence on figures in curiously exciting compositions. He isn't alone on the film, however, as the middle scene at the apartment was directed by friend Alexander Gordon, with Tarkovsky directing the bigger chunks at the diner, and another guy Marika Beiku co-directing overall. Since the apartment scene is so short though, and accounts for just three shots, one being most elaborate as it goes in and out, tight and wide, on the morose Swede in hiding and his friend at the diner filling him in on what happened, it's mostly Tarkovsky's game here.

Part of the skill, and curiosity, in how tense the long first scene at the diner is that music is completely absent, with the only tone coming from Tarkovsky himself as a whistling customer. Meanwhile, Tarkovsky uses Hemingway's dialog in a very realistic manner, even when he goes deliberate angles, like when George goes into the back with the sandwiches and we see his feet in the same tilted frame as an empty can on the floor, or with the usage of the mirror on the wall. There's also the suddenness of seeing a machine gun that strikes things up in the room, and just the general attitude of Al and Max, the hit men, as they keep calling George "bright boy" in a way that reminds me of the curious double-talk in a self-consciously bad-ass movie like Pulp Fiction (not to mention the near casual usage of the 'N' bomb). While it ends sort of on a screeching halt, the sense of ambiguity as to the fate of the Swede as well as everyone else in the diner who hid the secret is worthwhile for the material, as it's perfectly anti-climactic. It's not entirely a simple experiment, as it's too polished for that, but I couldn't see how it could be made any longer either. It's perfectly paced and acted nearly as well, and it's a fitting pre-cursor to the un-prolific but remarkable career of one of Russia's most important filmmakers.

Tarkovsky and fellow-student filmmakers are bright boys, 28 February 2012

Author: gizmomogwai from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Ubiytsy (The Killers) is the first film by Andrei Tarkovsky, a Soviet director whose work I'm getting to know. The Killers is a students' short film which Tarkovsky directed with two other people. Tarkovsky's scenes at the diner are probably the best. Two gangsters come into a diner and order some food, then act menacingly towards the owner, customer and cook, telling them that they are there to kill a person they are expecting at a diner. Tension and suspense are present throughout, as what we clearly have here are two dangerous men, who are suspiciously cold even before they announce criminal intentions. As well, we have some innocent people, including the black cook who's called a racist slur.

In a scene not directed by Tarkovsky, the customer goes to the home of the targeted person to warn him he's in danger. Oddly enough, the man seems uninterested, as if he has accepted his fate. Why he doesn't care and what he did to get into trouble in the first place are questions I would like to know, but the film ends after only twenty minutes. This is somewhat disappointing but still a good short film.

13 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
Wow...., 2 May 2001
Author: Herr Nosferatu from Canada

Pure genius, though a short, it sends out images of poetry and passion. Seeing an early stage of formation of majestic artistry will astonish all who sees this film. Rich and powerful, it is an element that sends emotions through all who experience this inspired film.

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