The Killers

Released Aug 28, 1946

1h 45m

Crime

Drama

List

100%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede" (Burt Lancaster). When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator (Edmond O'Brien), on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman (Ava Gardner) who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man (Albert Dekker).

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Steve D

Fine but lacking any surprises.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/29/24

Full Review

harwee h

Entertaining and well directed, Burt Lancaster always stunning. But in the end you don't care about the characters.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

Full Review

Alec B

Think of it as a mash up of "Citizen Kane" and "Double Indemnity". Maybe the ending isn't totally effective but it has one hell of a compelling opening and much of the middle section shades the characters in interesting ways.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

nick s

A quality mystery noir, with good acting performances. There's enough suspense & intrigue to ensure it never gets dull.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/23

Full Review

Farah R

What a bore this film turned out to be! Despite my best efforts to get invested in the plot and the characters, The Killers was near impossible to enjoy. Lancaster and Gardner weren't as phenomenal as the reviews made them seem, and the film's overall tone was abhorrently bleak. The perfect Tomato score baffles me.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/02/23

Full Review

Liam D

A true classic of the film noir genre with one of the best opening to any of those type of movies

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/17/22

Full Review

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Robert Siodmak

Director

Burt Lancaster

Ole "The Swede" Andersen

Ava Gardner

Kitty Collins

Edmond O'Brien

Jim Reardon (investigator)

Albert Dekker

Big Jim Colfax

Sam Levene

Lt. Sam Lubinsky

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

It's [got] a blistering opening sequence.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 4, 2014

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 28, 2008

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Taken from Ernest Hemingway's story of the same title, picture is a hard-hitting example of forthright melodrama in the best Hemingway style. Performances without exception are top quality.

Apr 8, 2008

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[T]he web of deceit and double crosses of the story and expertly-constructed screenplay by Anthony Veiller works thanks to the atmosphere of doom and duplicity created by Siodmak and his crew, and to the defining presence of Lancaster and Gardner.

Mar 4, 2023

Full Review

Eric Melin

Scene-Stealers.com

The movie darts around in time, constantly surprising and adding more depth to the character of The Swede. It's a psychological exploration of a man who was so worn down by life that he merely gave up.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 7, 2015

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Robert Siodmak directs this for maximum shadowy impact, aided by a crackerjack script from Anthony Veiller (and an uncredited John Huston) and stellar performances from a concrete-solid cast.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 22, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede" (Burt Lancaster). When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator (Edmond O'Brien), on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman (Ava Gardner) who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man (Albert Dekker).

Director: Robert Siodmak
Screenwriter: Ernest Hemingway, Anthony Veiller, Richard Brooks, John Huston
Distributor: Universal Pictures, Universal International Pictures
Production Co: Mark Hellinger Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 1946, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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