The Killers

Movie Information

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Killers at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 12, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville. (From Asheville, take I-26 to U.S. 64 West, turn right at the third light onto Thompson Street. Follow to the Lake Point Landing entrance and park in the lot on the left.)
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Genre: Film Noir Crime/Drama
Director: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene
Rated: NR

Robert Siodmak’s The Killers (1946)—or more properly, Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers—wasn’t the first time the German director had made a film noir, since it was preceded by Phantom Lady (1944), Christmas Holiday (1944), The Suspect (1944), The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) and The Spiral Staircase (1945). Even his 1943 Son of Dracula might be termed a “noir” horror picture. But somehow—maybe it’s the clout of the Hemingway name—The Killers seems to be the one for which Siodmak is remembered. That’s a little ironic, since, apart from the opening sequence, there’s not much of Hemingway’s short story clinging to Siodmak’s film, seeing as how the beginning pretty much is the short story. The rest is the screenplay offering backstory. What does cling to the movie, however, is the shadowy sense of both hopeless dread and resignation that marks the genre. That Siodmak should have proved to be a master of noir is hardly surprising, since his roots were in German Expressionist film—a form not unlike noir in many respects.

The Killers is a complex work that begins with the gangland murder—for reasons that are unclear at the time—of a character known as the Swede (Burt Lancaster in his film debut). The remainder of the film follows the investigation into his death by insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O’Brien) and police lieutenant Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levene). Each piece of their investigation involves a flashback that finally pieces together the story of what led to the Swede’s murder. Complex as its structure is, the film does manage to be coherent. But it’s really a triumph of atmosphere and style over content when all is said and done. It’s less the story that compels the viewer than the feel of it all—and the grim sense of how everything leads to the inevitable ending we saw at the beginning of the film.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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2 thoughts on “The Killers

  1. ncain

    Now, I don’t get the print edition every week, since I don’t live in town, but where are they showing this? I’m jealous.

    I think Ava Gardner’s character in this is easily one of the most loathsome femme fatales ever.

    The remake starring John Cassavetes and Lee Marvin doesn’t hold a candle to the original. It does feature the then future leader of the free world bitch slapping Angie Harmon, though.

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