The Killing (1956)

Johnny Clay: Alright sister, that's a mighty pretty head you got on your shoulders. You want to keep it there or start carrying it around in your hands?
Sherry Peatty: Maybe we could compromise and put it on your shoulder. I think that'd be nice, don't you?

Welcome to that classic smart and witty comments you can find in Noir films.  Directed by Stanley Kubrick, The Killing is not just a fantastic film but is somewhat different to the norm in that it was shot in a non-linear style which has become somewhat more popular these days and was no doubt some form of inspiration for Quentin Tarantino who really brought this style back into mainstream filmmaking.  Whilst I am not a big fan of Kubrick, it’s not hard to see the talent and skill he had considering this was only his second feature film at the age of 27.  Quite amazing.

Essentially, the film covers a robbery at a race track from the point of view of the various characters involved in the heist.  Quite ingenious and risky at the time it was done and quite possibly as a consequence it flopped at the cinema even though it gained praise from critics.  It took some decades later for it to be really appreciated for the movie it was.  

Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) plans the ultimate heist but to pull it off he needs help from corrupt cop Randy Kennan (Ted de Corsia), George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr.) a betting window teller at the racetrack, a sharpshooter by the name of Nikki Arcane (Timothy Carey), Mike O’Rielly who is the bar attender at the racetrack and ex wrestler Maurice Oboukhoff (Kola Kwarlaini – who also wrestled in real life).  Together they aim to rob the racetrack and get away but things start going sour when George spills the beans about the plans to his wife Sherry (Marie Windsor) who then encourages her on-the-side lover Val Cannon (Vince Edwards) to steal the money from the thieves once they pull the job off.  

Coming in at 84 minutes, it’s a film that doesn’t waste much time and, for me at least, kept me in from the start and that sharp script adds plenty of enjoyment to the already thrilling ride.  Sterling Hayden does a fantastic job which is consistent with what I have seen in some other movies he stars in, Elisha Cook Jr. also does great as the underappreciated husband of the splendid Marie Windsor who plays a surprisingly cold and harsh character wonderfully.  When I watched the film for the first time I have to say that I was amazed at how well the non-linear film was shot especially considering it was pretty much a first for its time, but it makes it all the more memorable.

It’s kind of sad how many modern movies that are not anywhere as good as this get more public attention which in turn just encourages the shallow movies that seem more prevalent these days whilst good well thought out movies of yesty years are near forgotten.  But, as a positive, it would seem that older movies are now getting a bit more attention than what they used too.  With the introduction of the DVD we saw many films get that breath of fresh air to last a bit longer and with the introduction of Bluray this has given them a new lease of life, though the work required to get them restored for high definition is costlier.  This is why I am in favour of these niche companies such as Arrow Video, Criterion, BFI (British Film Institute), Madman, Shock DVD, Umbrella Entertainment and others that give these films a good DVD/Bluray release and am completely against illegally downloading films.  We need to support the studios/companies that keep these films looking good and alive.  But I digress.

The Bluray reviewed here is the Australian release (Thanks Shock!) which sadly has only the two feature movies with no extras.  The films are also available in wonderful releases from Arrow and Criterion with a host of extras, but the good part about the Australian release is that the two films sit on a double layered Bluray whilst the Arrow/Criterion have to share the two movies with the extras.  In this case however I would really like the extras and the booklet that comes with them as I think they would provide some really interesting information especially concerning The Killing.  Nevertheless, the quality of the image for The Killing is really good and probably as good as it gets without a 4k transfer.  It’s clean and sharp throughout and it retains that all important film grain that keeps it from feeling too digital and waxy.  The sound comes via DTS HD Master Audio in mono so you get it how it was at the time in uncompressed audio and it sounds good.  

The film comes highly recommended for a film noir buff and even for those interested in seeing a movie that proves that they were innovative in the 50’s.  As a bonus we also get the second film as part of the package which is also a solid offering to say the least.  Do yourself a favour and check out this fantastic film!

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