|
The Killing (1956)
Starring Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards. Cinematography by Lucien Ballard. Edited by Betty Steinberg. Produced by James B. Harris. Written by Stanley Kubrick and Jim Thompson. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Johnny Clay (played by Sterling Hayden) has just been released from his five year sentence at Alcatraz. His new philosophy in his criminal career is to match the risk with the potential rewards. With this in mind he devises an intricate plan to steal two million dollars from a nearby racetrack. He rounds up four other men (played by Elisha Cook Jr., Ted de Corisia, Jay C. Flippen, and Joe Sawyer) to aid in his heist.
Everything seems to be progressing as planned, but when one of the group members tells his wife (played by Marie Windsor) about the scheme, she in turn tells her boyfriend (played by Vince Edwards) who now demands his own cut. Things continue to unravel from there, leading the one time victimless crime towards murder and deception.
Stanley Kubrick’s first two films, Fear and Desire and Killer’s Kiss, were lessons in the art of symbology. Both films were rooted with deeply buried existential significances, but in turn suffered on a narrative level. It comes as no surprise then that Kubrick would shift to producing novel adaptations for the balance of his career. Using an already established storyline would provide him with a road map of sorts to effectively tell a story while still getting his message across.
Over the years he would perfect this adaptation system, using what he could from the literary source, injecting his ideas and philosophies, and translating seamlessly into a consummate cinematic experience. For his first attempt he would choose Lionel White’s heist novel, Clean Break. Using the framework of White’s story, Kubrick transcended the limitations of the novel and assembled amazing feature that operates outside the normal confines of time and space.
The Killing, as it is now known, was Kubrick’s breakout movie both critically and financially. With this picture he went from being an obscure art house director to a commercially viable filmmaker. Though he would not loose his independent edge through the years (quite the contrary actually), he would continue to command higher budgets and more talented actors for each new project he would undertake.
Though The Killing may not be remembered as one of Kubrick’s more significant movies, it has been cited as a major influence for many of today’s young filmmakers. Its nonlinear narrative style has been used by fellow God of Filmmaking Quentin Tarantino in projects like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown. It can also been seen in Christopher Nolan’s Memento and Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects. The Killing certainly can not claim to be the genesis of this style, but it is unquestionably one of the most intricately constructed examples of it. This mastery of the craft has left the film timeless as it has continued to amaze audiences throughout the years.
Budget: $320,000
Total US Gross: $???
Genre: Crime
Runtime: 85 Minutes
US Release Date: 6/6/56
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (intended ratio)
Awards: none
Tagline: In All Its Fury And Violence… Like No Other Picture Since “Scarface” And “Little Caesar”!
Quote: “Any time you take a chance you’d better be sure the rewards are worth the risk because they can put you away just as fast for a ten dollar heist as they can for a million dollar job.”
|
