The Killing

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The Killing

1956

1h 23m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 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 fiancée, 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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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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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

02/05/2015

5/5

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.

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Glenn Heath Jr.

Slant Magazine

09/14/2013

4/4

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

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David Thomson

The New Republic

06/24/2013

Faultless and enjoyable.

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Matthew Rozsa

Democracy at Work (Substack)

Dec 2

4/4

Kubrick created a superior work of art, one that has influenced crime movies from "Reservoir Dogs" and "Heat" to "Ocean’s Eleven" and "The Town."

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

07/02/2025

5/5

Director Stanley Kubrick’s third feature, “The Killing” barely made a dent at the box office when it was first released in 1956 but is now regarded as one of the greatest and most influential heist films ever made.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

07/31/2022

3.5/4

A crackling film noir.

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Ben W

@Username618 Jul 4

Have seen 'The Killing' (1956), 'Dr Strangelove' (1964), 2001 (1968), A clockwork orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987). I think Stanley Kubrick was happiest as a stills photographer- evidence. His camera v. often does not movIe. Tone... strays more to the side of comedy, than it does tragedy; almost always viewing characters with a form of contempt, possibly. A slow pace, punctuated by violence. Meh.

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Max M.

@Househuntermax May 2

The grandfather of all heist movies. Absolutely brilliant with a jaw dropping ending. If you love crime and heist movies and you haven’t seen this one, stop what you’re doing and watch it right now!

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Tim M

@tgmacman Mar 31

Announcing Stanley Kubrick as a talent to be reckoned with, The Killing crafts a dynamic heist thriller with careful precision.

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Julian L

@Kubrickians Nov 9

3 years and 2 films earlier, Kubrick was a mere amateur with a shoestring budget and only signs of his later genius. Now he is a fully realized filmmaker only limited by his mediocre budget, and is very resourceful. This establishes him as a perfectionist.

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Tom F

@RT55173143 Oct 10

A year before hitting his stride with Paths of Glory, Kubrick makes a run at a complex heist tale. Lots of good stuff, but not helped by unnecessary narration and soap opera-ish interludes. Probably of most interest to students of Kubrick and the evolving tropes of the heist movie.

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Ted B

@Movieaddicted Sep 24

4.0 stars; An extremely well-done heist caper film. What's so compelling about this movie is how it sticks to the story and doesn't drift off into a bunch of side stories. The film's plot has a clever format. The robbery involves meticulous detail, which is kept from the audience and revealed as it takes place. Almost all of the dialogue is directed at the caper, so the actors are on their own to give depth to their characters' roles. This is an early film (1956) of Stanley Kubrick. I think it shows his talent and a preview of his much successful career.

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Stanley Kubrick

Director

Sterling Hayden

Johnny Clay

Coleen Gray

Fay

Vince Edwards

Val Cannon

Jay C. Flippen

Marvin Unger

Marie Windsor

Sherry Peatty

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

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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 fiancée, 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