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The Killers

1946

Robert Siodmak

Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker ...

7.8

9,339

Film noir. Mystery Two professional killers invade a small town and kill a gas station attendant, "the Swede", who's expecting them. Insurance investigator Reardon pursues the case against the orders of his boss, who considers it trivial. Weaving together threads of the Swede's life, Reardon uncovers a complex tale of treachery and crime, all linked with gorgeous, mysterious Kitty Collins.

	Media	Author	Review
		Philip French The Guardian	"The screenplay (written by John Huston but credited to Anthony Veiller) cleverly weaves together a variety of familiar crime plots to answer the questions Hemingway left unanswered"
		Bosley Crowther The New York Times	"It may not be precisely what Hemingway had in mind, it makes a taut and absorbing explanation (...) A diverting picture"
		Don Druker Chicago Reader	"The film becomes an example of film noir at its most expressive."
		J. Hoberman The New York Times	"[It] uses its brilliant opening scenes to dramatize the complete Hemingway story almost verbatim (...) Siodmak established himself as the leading stylist of what was not yet known as film noir"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"[It] plods lethargically through its double, triple, and quadruple crosses, but its marvelously expressive black-and-white photography puts the story's despairing tone in purely visual terms"
		Wally Hammond Time Out	"It’s one of the great films of disenchantment (...) But like much pulp art and classic noir, subtext is king (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Chuck Bowen Slant	"Siodmak’s 'The Killers' earns significant points for ambition and influence (…) Rating: ★★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Andrew L. Urban Urbancinefile	"If the story is gripping, so are the performances, not the least Burt Lancaster in his debut"
		Wendy Ide The Times	"It’s a blistering opening sequence."

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