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The Killing

Play trailer Poster for 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.
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The Killing

The Killing

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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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

Audience Reviews

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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 Brian H 'The Killing' is Stanley Kubrick's most underrated movie. It's time-shifting narrative is a work of pure genius, and you can see the film's influence on movies such as 'The Dark Knight'. Overall, I cannot recommend this film enough. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Killing

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Cast & Crew

The Killing

The Killing: Official Clip - Robbing the Robbers The Killing: Official Clip - Robbing the Robbers 2:35 The Killing: Official Clip - Dead at 4:24 The Killing: Official Clip - Dead at 4:24 2:12 The Killing: Official Clip - Holding Up the Racetrack Bank The Killing: Official Clip - Holding Up the Racetrack Bank 2:12 The Killing: Official Clip - Maurice Creates the Distraction The Killing: Official Clip - Maurice Creates the Distraction 2:00 The Killing: Official Clip - I Know You Like a Book The Killing: Official Clip - I Know You Like a Book 1:28 The Killing: Official Clip - Going Over the Plan The Killing: Official Clip - Going Over the Plan 2:43 The Killing: Official Clip - Sherry Baby The Killing: Official Clip - Sherry Baby 2:06 The Killing: Official Clip - Worth the Risk The Killing: Official Clip - Worth the Risk 2:13 The Killing: Official Clip - Caught Snooping The Killing: Official Clip - Caught Snooping 1:59 The Killing: Official Clip - Blowin' in the Wind The Killing: Official Clip - Blowin' in the Wind 2:13 View more videos
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Movie Info

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
United Artists, Criterion Collection
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
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