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The Killers

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The Killers

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Also known as Killers

1946 film by Robert Siodmak

Film · TMDB

7.4

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.

Released: 1946-08-30103 minDir: Robert SiodmakCrime, Mystery, Thriller

Cast

  • Edmond O'Brien as Jim Reardon
  • Burt Lancaster as 'Swede' Andersen
  • Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins
  • Albert Dekker as Big Jim Colfax
  • Sam Levene as Lt. Sam Lubinsky
  • Vince Barnett as Charleston

Themes

  • small town
  • new jersey
  • gas station
  • boxer
  • heist
  • femme fatale
  • film noir
  • murder
  • black and white
  • attempted robbery

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Ratings

IMDb

7.7/10

25,760 votes

Rotten Tomatoes

100%

Year
1946
Runtime
103 min
Genres
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Rated
Approved
Awards
Nominated for 4 Oscars. 4 wins & 4 nominations total

via OMDb · IMDb

Key facts

Directed by
Robert Siodmak
Screenplay by
Anthony Veiller
Based on
" The Killers ", (1927 short story), by Ernest Hemingway
Produced by
Mark Hellinger
Starring
Edmond O'Brien Ava Gardner Albert Dekker Sam Levene Burt Lancaster
Cinematography
Woody Bredell
Edited by
Arthur Hilton
Music by
Miklós Rózsa
Production company
Mark Hellinger Productions
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release date
August 30, 1946 ( 1946-08-30 )
Running time
103 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Box office
$2.5 million (US rentals)

via Wikipedia infobox

Internet Archive

movies

The Killers (1946) Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O' Brien - Film Noir Full Movie

Watch at Internet Archive →

via archive.org

Wikidata facts

Duration
103
FilmAffinity ID
566080
Image
Killers001.jpg
Show 4 more facts
Commons category
The Killers (film)
publication date
1946-09-18
title
The Killers
review score
100%
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~15 min read

Article

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.

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