
by Cookie N Screen
Film noir is one of the greatest genres if done well. The smokey detective stories that are stylish, flirtatious and cynical, with a puff of criminality in the shape of curves and femme fatales. Though they have been adapted in modern culture with films such as Brick or Memento, the term is often related to the black and white films of the 1940s and 1950s. There is a whole heap of films that work around film noir: The Maltese Falcon, Sunset Boulevard and Strangers on a Train to name but a few. But one of the most alluring pieces of films noir is Robert Siodmak’s The Killers.
Film noir is one of the greatest genres if done well. The smokey detective stories that are stylish, flirtatious and cynical, with a puff of criminality in the shape of curves and femme fatales. Though they have been adapted in modern culture with films such as Brick or Memento, the term is often related to the black and white films of the 1940s and 1950s. There is a whole heap of films that work around film noir: The Maltese Falcon, Sunset Boulevard and Strangers on a Train to name but a few. But one of the most alluring pieces of films noir is Robert Siodmak’s The Killers.

Based on a short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway, The Killers revolves around the brutal killing of old ex-boxer Pete Lund, better known as Old Swede. As life insurance investigator Jim Reardon tries to find the beneficiary, he delves into the past of Swede and the people that lead to his death. He soon discovers that Lund has been tricked into committing theft after he is seduced by the gorgeous Kitty Collins, but only as he digs further does Reardon learn just how brutal that betrayal was.
This is the perfect example of how to unravel a tale in both its aesthetic and script. Steeped in film noir connotations whilst still keeping it completely enthralling. The flip between different narratives, the flashbacks that tell the story and the investigating insurance worker all lead us down a winding path that is both tense and laden with intrigue. The brimming underbelly of the crime that bounces between different perspectives is greatly admired, showcasing a brilliant (and very replicated) way of delving into the past by unravelling the present. The Killers is a tantalising slowburn that relies on the great performances and frayed alibis.
On this note, the acting is stellar. Ava Gardener delights as Kitty, who seduces Old Swede and exploits his faith in her. She captures this silhouette of a dangerous woman, abusing the fools who fall in love with her. And on that list is Lancaster’s Lund, who is willing to commit abhorrent crimes for her and takes his fate when she ultimately betrays him. Lancaster is brilliant as this complex hero whose willingness to fall in love places him deeper into the underbelly mirrored by Reardon’s journey to find the sole beneficiary. But the stand out here is Albert Dekker’s Big Jim. Cold and calculated, sublimely terrifying, and whose final moments are unjustly cruel.
This is the perfect example of how to unravel a tale in both its aesthetic and script. Steeped in film noir connotations whilst still keeping it completely enthralling. The flip between different narratives, the flashbacks that tell the story and the investigating insurance worker all lead us down a winding path that is both tense and laden with intrigue. The brimming underbelly of the crime that bounces between different perspectives is greatly admired, showcasing a brilliant (and very replicated) way of delving into the past by unravelling the present. The Killers is a tantalising slowburn that relies on the great performances and frayed alibis.
On this note, the acting is stellar. Ava Gardener delights as Kitty, who seduces Old Swede and exploits his faith in her. She captures this silhouette of a dangerous woman, abusing the fools who fall in love with her. And on that list is Lancaster’s Lund, who is willing to commit abhorrent crimes for her and takes his fate when she ultimately betrays him. Lancaster is brilliant as this complex hero whose willingness to fall in love places him deeper into the underbelly mirrored by Reardon’s journey to find the sole beneficiary. But the stand out here is Albert Dekker’s Big Jim. Cold and calculated, sublimely terrifying, and whose final moments are unjustly cruel.

What director Robert Siodmak does with the film is enhance the script with this dark and dim lighting that casts shadowy figures and hour-glass femme fatales on the walls of this ultimate film noir, adding to the wrought and suspense-filled atmosphere. Combined with those shadowy figures and femme fatales, The Killers is the definition of film noir that combines different visual elements in order to develop the tension, rather than have the style lead the way. Through this remarkably visual genre of film, Siodmak makes a solid detective story of dames and guys who embroil someone rather innocent into their ploys.
A brilliant development on Ernest Hemingway’s short story (and told to be the only one that the author actually appreciated), some may look at The Killers and see it a little dated with time. But looking beneath the film is a great and captivating thriller.
The Killers is now available on Blu-Ray.
A brilliant development on Ernest Hemingway’s short story (and told to be the only one that the author actually appreciated), some may look at The Killers and see it a little dated with time. But looking beneath the film is a great and captivating thriller.
The Killers is now available on Blu-Ray.