ThiefHott Too much of everything

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

bcstoneb444 Considering The Killers dates from early in the noir cycle it's a little surprising that it's as definitive a crystallization of the noir ethos that we're likely ever to see. Wow! Director Siodmak and cinematographer Woody Bredell are at the top of their form: they pile shadow upon shadow, scene after scene. So much going for this one: noir composer of choice Miklos Rozsa here comes through with maybe his best score ever, regardless of genre. Jangling and Stravinsky-esque, it never lets up. Burt Lancaster is fine as the doomed Swede, and of course Ava Gardner is a wonder. The visage of her in that slinky black evening dress is the very definition of the noir femme fatale. Only Rita Hayworth in Gilda gives her a run for her money. A bonus is that Ava sings her song using her own voice. And how about Charles McGraw and William Conrad, for my money the two coldest hired assassins in film history. And it is refreshing to see a young, relatively slim and more or less handsome Edmond O'Brien taking on the gumshoe role. The rest of the supporting cast is primo, especially Albert Dekker as Mr Big and, in a turn that seems to anticipate his appearance in Kiss Me Deadly a decade later, Jack Lambert nearly steals the movie as the problematic thug. Also fascinating is the inclusion on the Criterion DVD of a 1956 short produced in the Soviet Union(!) which sticks pretty faithfully to the story and does a pretty good job of capturing an American atmosphere, quite amazing considering the times.

Woodyanders Two hit men bump off unresisting victim Ole "Swede" Anderson (Burt Lancaster, terrific in his film debut) without a hitch. Shrewd and persistent insurance investigator Jim Reardon (an excellent performance by Edmond O'Brien) decides to pursue the case and untangles a complex web of crime and trickery that leads to the lovely, yet lethal Kitty Collins (ably played to the irresistibly sultry hilt by a ravishing Ava Gardner).Director Robert Siodmark, working from a crafty and compelling script by Anthony Veiller, not only relates the gripping and intricate story at a steady pace and stages several action set pieces with breathtaking skill and precision, but also does a masterful job of crafting an extremely dark, tense, and brooding fatalistic atmosphere where almost everyone is crooked and practically nothing is initially what it seems to be. The super acting by the top-rate cast keeps this movie humming, with especially stand-out contributions from Albert Dekker as fearsome ringleader Big Jim Colfax, Sam Levene as helpful and streetwise cop Lt. Sam Lubinsky, Vince Barnett as petty thief Charleston, Virginia Christine as the sweet Lily Harmon, Jack Lambert as vicious hoodlum 'Dum-Dum' Clarke, Jeff Corey as doomed junkie Blinky Franklin, and, best of all, Charles McGraw and William Conrad as the splendidly mean and menacing killers Al and Max. Elwood Bredell's sumptuous black and white cinematography provides a beautifully moody look and boasts a few striking unbroken crane shots. The robust score by Miklos Rozsa hits the stirring spot. Highly recommended.

lampic Inspired by Ernest Hemingway short story "The Killers" turned out to be quintessential film noir and marvel for any lover of the genre - everything happens in half shadows, there is exciting crime story, bad guys (well, almost everybody here is a bad guy), detectives and policemen, sexy femme fatal and enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the screen until the end.Very young Burt Lancaster is the main protagonist here - typical film noir character, a good guy who somehow gets involved in bad company - and he dies at the very beginning of the movie. From now its up to life insurance investigator to trace the story back in flashbacks, talking to everybody who might have known Lancaster and slowly trough all these stories and memories we get more or less clear picture why was Lancaster killed and why he never even resisted his murder. Its impossible not to feel sorry for Lancaster who was basically a good guy with lots of bad luck, he never had a chance involving himself with this crowd. There is a lot of strong supporting characters, notably Vince Barnett (ex prison cell mate) and stunning Ava Gardner as gangster moll who double crosses everybody and watches Lancaster like a black spider.

SnoopyStyle Hit men Max and Al come to Brentwood, New Jersey and kill Ole "the Swede" Andreson (Burt Lancaster). Life insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O'Brien) tracks down the beneficiary of the policy. He is helped by the Swede's friend police Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levene). The Swede was a washed up boxer who got mixed up with some bad people and Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner).Killing off Burt Lancaster right at the start takes away some of the tension. The movie stalls a little bit after a really compelling start. It would have been much better to have him live and he could hunt down for those responsible. Watching the flashbacks in this movie, the fact that he's already dead is always at the back of my mind. I love the start but the structure isn't as compelling.