Review of The Killing (1956) by Familiar S — 26 Feb 2011

It may be over 50 years old but The Killing remains nothing short of an outstanding crime drama. Even as a new Director, this film proves that Kubrik had an uncanny ability to twist a straightforward heist story into an experience that would keep the viewer at the edge of their seat.

This fast-paced, non-linear style of storytelling has since influenced many of today's famous Directors (perhaps most famously Quentin Terantino who adopts it in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction). The Killing is a film noir through and through, with snappy stylistic dialogue, stark shadows and a bunch of crooked people whose lives can only end tragically.

Despite their crooked ways, however, we like them - we want them to get away. Perhaps the most painful (in a good way) interaction is between the characters of George and Sherry - he a mousy man trapped in a loveless marriage with no spine when it comes to his wife, she a conniving temptress only after fortune.

There's no shortage of brutality, and whereas much of the actual crime takes place off-screen, the exposition of the aftermath holds a punch even by today's desensitized standards.