Review of The Killing (1956) by Stephen E — 08 Nov 2011

For quite some time now I've been baffled by why so many think of Stanley Kubrick as a god among filmmakers. By saying that I am not saying that I think he is untalented; I happen to quite enjoy his films. I think that he is given too much credit for creating some of the best films ever made, when in reality, they aren't really as good as every says they are. I never like to use the term overrated because I don't think that it makes much sense, but it's one of the best words that I can think of to describe the work of Stanley Kubrick.

That being said, his The Killing is a great little noir. It's short and sweet and somewhat to the point, but it's entertaining and well-acted. Also, it's got some great cinematography. It's really enjoyable. A lot of people complain about older films because they aren't as believable or interesting as the films nowadays. Well, The Killing is surprisingly very modern for our time. And it's also very thrilling. From about twenty minutes in to that final, memorable shot, you're hooked and tense and waiting for every minute to pass by, wondering what will happen next. Also, these are some very true-to-life characters.

Yes, I've heard the rumors about how Tarantino adapted his Reservoir Dogs from The Killing. Yes, I've watched the 'making of' footage of Reservoir Dogs and all those clips on YouTube. Tarantino has even come out and said it. But I just don't see it. The only similarity between the two is that they plan a heist and it goes wrong. That's it. There's literally no other similarity, unless you want to count the fact that there's a big bald guy reminiscent of Lawrence Tierney. But he's playing an entirely different character. You wanna see the real influence behind Reservoir Dogs? Go watch City on Fire.

Also, this movie gives me a new reason to hate dogs.