Killer's Kiss

Released Nov 5, 1955

1h 7m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

83%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

58%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a New York City boxer aging out of his profession, meets dancer Gloria Price (Irene Kane), and they begin a romance. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera), who has eyes for his employee. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

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Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

Ultimately, Stanley Kubrick is less interested in offering a fresh dimension to a familiar story than in using its narrative scaffolding as an occasion for often thrilling aesthetic play.

Jun 29, 2022

Full Review

Gavin Lambert

Sight & Sound

The young writer-director-photographer-editor of this un-promisingly titled film has a good deal of talent.

Mar 30, 2020

Full Review

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Kubrick's second feature shows his promise as a powerful and iconic director in motifs and style.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 3, 2007

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Stanley Kubrick didn’t much care for his second feature, and one can’t blame him. It’s a bit of hard-boiled juvenilia (he was 27 when it was released) with corny, ludicrous narration.

Rated: C

Aug 30, 2022

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Kubrick's..."sizzle reel," an introduction/audition for all the great films to follow.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 20, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Kubrick considered this an inferior effort, and he was mostly right.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 11, 2022

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Connor S

One of film's most impactful directors was given next to nothing to work with monetarily and managed to make a more-than-quality movie at a young age, with much more success to come his way.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

Full Review

Elvis D

El director Stanley Kubrick ha hecho lo que sería un paso al siguiente escalón con esta película tras su primer largometraje. Killer's Kiss no es quizás una de las mejores películas de Kubrick, puesto que él aún estaba en sus inicios, pero esta película muestra las técnicas de fotografía y filmación que tanto caracterizarían el estilo de Kubrick en sus próximas películas. Lo que tenemos es una historia noir bastante corta, pero atractiva. Todo es narrador por un boxeador común y corriente que en camino conoce a una joven bailarina con una historia dura y que desea escapar de su jefe posesivo. El boxeador Davey va narrando la historia y él se encarga de completar la historia contando lo que sucede fuera de pantalla. Ya se puede conocer a Davey de entrada por dar simples detalles sobre su identidad y la bailarina Gloria es una dama en apuros con pasado que la dejo marcada de por vida y no le ha permitido seguir adelanto. Aunque no hay mucha profundidad, se entiende claramente lo que sucede con los personajes. Lo que hace esta película atractiva para los que conocen a Kubrick o están metidos en el mundo del cine es el uso que Kubrick le dio a la cámara. Lo que se puede presenciar en algunas escenas son algo que muy difícilmente se han podido ver en otras películas. Kubrick utiliza muchos primeros planos para generar una atmosfera. La escena de baile que ocupa toda la narración de Gloria sobre su pasado se siente bastante creativa. La pelea entre Davet y Vinnie en la sala de maniquís se siente muy atractiva a nivel visual para una película de aquella película. Dicha escena es seguramente lo más memorable de toda la película y también la secuencia del sueño de Davey filmada en negativo que también logra ser algo icónico, a pesar de durar solo unos segundos. Innegablemente, Killer's Kiss es una interesante pieza del mundo del cine que vale la pena echarle un vistazo. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 9/10.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Christopher B

The nighttime shots of New York are amazing and fit the mood and feel of the film hand in hand. The story itself is one of hard luck, jealousy, love and of course violence. Kubrick's second feature film is a prototype, albeit itself a wonderful film, to his third film The Killing (1956). Killer's Kiss is a wonderfully dark and edgy noir piece that Kubrick achieved with a mere $40,000 budget and doing most of the work himself! You could see how the director was already gifted even at the age of 28 and this film foreshadows just hot great a director he would be throughout his vast career in film. Highly Recommended, especially if you are a Film-Noir junkie like myself!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/20/22

Full Review

Audience Member

A very good and rewatchable film. It's very pleasant to see the good old New York.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

dustin d

Stanley Kubrick's second feature is a huge improvement over the amateurish Fear and Desire. Killer's Kiss isn't really the mature feature his next film, The Killing, would be, but it shows the director's promise. To think I've gone 37 years without knowing what a taxi dancer was. The story was dark for its day, and at a little over one hour, the story is economical. Some of the performances leave a little to be desired--this was clearly before the master was averaging two dozen takes per shot--but the overall effect is of a quality film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Liam D

Stanley Kubrick‘s (Paths of Glory, Lolita) second feature film is a short and to the point Crime Thriller with crumbs to what the future career of a legendary director

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/22

Full Review

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Frank Silvera

Vincent Rapallo

Jamie Smith

Davy Gordon

Irene Kane

Gloria Price

Jerry Jarrett

Albert

Mike Dana

Gangster

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Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Rooftop Chase

1:56

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - The Fight

2:59

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Nightmare

1:18

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Don't Kill Me

2:12

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Pity or Love?

1:17

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Outnumbered

1:53

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Chance Encounter

2:33

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Lovers Reunite

2:26

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Watch Your Step

1:59

Killer's Kiss: Official Clip - Fight at the Mannequin Factory

3:01

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Synopsis

Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a New York City boxer aging out of his profession, meets dancer Gloria Price (Irene Kane), and they begin a romance. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera), who has eyes for his employee. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriter: Stanley Kubrick
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., MGM Distributing Corporation, Cinemagia, United Artists
Production Co: United Artists, Minotaur Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 1955, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 15, 2016
Runtime: 1h 7m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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