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The Killing (1956),
Director: Stanley Kubrick, Rated Approved
Suspense! Terror!
Violence! Will grip you as no other picture since "Scarface" and
"Little Ceasar"!
  Starring:
Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen,
Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor, Ted de Corsia, Joe Sawyer, James
Edwards, Timothy Carey
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"You know, I've often
thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the
eyes of the masses. They are admired and hero-worshipped, but
there is always a present underlying wish to see them destroyed at
the peak of their glory."
- Maurice
Why watch this? This
noir crime film is so gritty, you'll taste sand in your teeth.
Plot Summary:
A small-time crook assembles a diverse crew to execute a
meticulous plan: the daring robbery of a racetrack's
money-counting operation during a major race. The scheme is
fraught with tension as personal greed, double-crossing, and the
meticulous details of the heist collide. Ultimately, the
meticulous planning unravels as external pressures and human
error lead to an unexpected and chaotic conclusion.
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Dad's Preview:
This film stands today as one of Stanley Kubrick's early best.
It follows a plan to rob the cash box from a racetrack. The
gang's leader, Johnny Clay, has it all figured out, so what could possibly go wrong, right? Well, it's
the botched plan that makes the film so engrossing. I was
particularly interested in how quickly the worse in a person
comes out when under duress. Character actor Elisha Cook really
stands out here as a weak man always manipulated by others.
Quentin Tarantino once noted that this inspired his film
Reservoir Dogs (1992). It's a beautifully
shot, and incredibly dark, noir crime entry that has a rawness
which will have an
impact on you. Here we certainly learn that crime finds a way to
not pay up. |
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Harris-Kubrick
Pictures Corp.; United Artists |
