The Killing

Play trailer

The Killing

Released May 20, 1956

1h 23m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Career criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) recruits a sharpshooter (Timothy Carey), a crooked police officer (Ted de Corsia), a bartender (Joe Sawyer) and a betting teller named George (Elisha Cook Jr.), among others, for one last job before he goes straight and marries his fiancee, Fay (Coleen Gray). But when George tells his restless wife, Sherry (Marie Windsor), about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

An expertly crafted noir with more on its mind than stylishly staged violence, The Killing establishes Stanley Kubrick as a filmmaker of uncommon vision and control.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

This taut crime picture was one of the earliest films in the career of Stanley Kubrick, but something of the director's voice and characteristic preoccupations are already evident here.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 5, 2015

Full Review

Glenn Heath Jr.

Slant Magazine

Underneath The Killing's clockwork violence is a pungent layer of irony, something Kubrick would further explore many times later in his career.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 14, 2013

Full Review

David Thomson

The New Republic

Faultless and enjoyable.

Jun 24, 2013

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A crackling film noir.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 31, 2022

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Stanley Kubrick is in full command of this tightly-paced, tense 84-minute crime thriller.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 25, 2022

Full Review

Arlene Croce

Film Culture

[Kubrick's] new film bears evidence of a fresh and maturing talent and completely belies the impression given by his earlier efforts -- that of a college boy who, in a semester's turning, had gone from comic books to Oedipus Rex.

Mar 28, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

William B

Great movie. Quite entertaining. One of the best Kubrick's movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Slick Kubrick before he fully went into auteur mode, the movie works as a crime noir. The annoying newsreel type voiceover and cheap exposition in the dialogue are the only major faults with the otherwise great film. Great characters and stylish, giving Kubrick the chance to sharpen his greatness that would come later.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

Full Review

Isa B

This was a young Stanley Kubrick's first great motion picture. Sterling Hayden and Timothy Carrey were terrific along with the rest of the cast. The film was well directed, well acted and had a brilliant plot. This is one of my favorite films by Mr. Kubrick. I highly recommend. 95/100

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

Full Review

thiago s

filme legal, gostei do roteiro ,os personagens são bacanas, gostei da cena da briga e depois do roubo, e achei legal o final quando a mala cheia de dinheiro cai no chão no aeroporto, eu recomendo esse filme, um dos primeiros filmes do stanley kubrick.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

Full Review

Mason M

Kubrick's first great film, that still remains one of his best, I love The Killing. A great noir film that includes beautiful use of the 1.66:1 aspect ratio and incredibly influential nonlinear editing. The Killing is an enthralling watch that pays out in a surprisingly unexpected way.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

nick s

The cinematography was good, as might be expected from Kubric. I liked some of the framing and low shots. The actors were excellent. But some aspects didn't work for me - jumbled timeline, voiceover, mumbling, characters making clumsy choices to advance plot, slightly corny ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/25/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Stanley Kubrick

Director

Sterling Hayden

Johnny Clay

Coleen Gray

Fay

Vince Edwards

Val Cannon

Jay C. Flippen

Marvin Unger

Marie Windsor

Sherry Peatty

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Killing: Official Clip - Robbing the Robbers

2:35

The Killing: Official Clip - Dead at 4:24

2:12

The Killing: Official Clip - Holding Up the Racetrack Bank

2:12

The Killing: Official Clip - Maurice Creates the Distraction

2:00

The Killing: Official Clip - I Know You Like a Book

1:28

The Killing: Official Clip - Going Over the Plan

2:43

The Killing: Official Clip - Sherry Baby

2:06

The Killing: Official Clip - Worth the Risk

2:13

The Killing: Official Clip - Caught Snooping

1:59

The Killing: Official Clip - Blowin' in the Wind

2:13

View more videos

Violent Saturday

80%

66%

Violent Saturday

Watchlist

Party Girl

83%

57%

Party Girl

Watchlist

The Wrong Man

93%

75%

The Wrong Man

Watchlist

Kiss Me Deadly

98%

84%

Kiss Me Deadly

Watchlist

Human Desire

60%

73%

Human Desire

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Classic Film Catch-Up: Eight Heist Flicks That Will Steal Your Movie-Loving Heart

View more photos

Synopsis

Career criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) recruits a sharpshooter (Timothy Carey), a crooked police officer (Ted de Corsia), a bartender (Joe Sawyer) and a betting teller named George (Elisha Cook Jr.), among others, for one last job before he goes straight and marries his fiancee, Fay (Coleen Gray). But when George tells his restless wife, Sherry (Marie Windsor), about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producer: James B. Harris
Screenwriter: Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson, Lionel White
Distributor: Criterion Collection, United Artists
Production Co: Harris-Kubrick Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 23m

Most Popular at Home Now