The Killers (1946)

Directed by

Robert Siodmak

Genre

drama film, film noir, crime film, thriller film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 43m

Rated

12

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 440 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An insurance detective investigates why a former boxer let two hitmen kill him without a fight. The inquiry uncovers the boxer's past and the people who led to his downfall.

noirtensegrittymelancholicsuspensefulhardboiledbleakmoody

What happens

The Killers is a 1946 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster in his film debut, along with Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Sam Levene. Based in part on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway, it focuses on insurance detective Jim Riordan’s investigation into the execution by Al and Max, two professional killers, of former boxer Pete Lund who did not resist his own murder. The screenplay was written by Anthony Veiller, with uncredited contributions by John Huston and Richard Brooks. Released in August 1946, The Killers was a critical and commercial success, earning four Academy Award nominations, including for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hemingway, who was habitually disgusted with how Hollywood distorted his thematic intentions, was an open admirer of the film. It is widely regarded as one of the classics of the film noir genre. In 2008, The Killers was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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