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      The Killing

      1956, Crime/Drama, 1h 23m

      47 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      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. Read critic reviews

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      The Killing  Photos

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      Movie Info

      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.

      • Genre: Crime, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Stanley Kubrick

      • Producer: James B. Harris

      • Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Jim Thompson, Lionel White

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: United Artists, Criterion Collection

      • Production Co: Harris-Kubrick Productions

      Cast & Crew

      Jay C. Flippen
      Marie Windsor
      Joe Sawyer
      Ted de Corsia
      Elisha Cook Jr.
      Timothy Carey
      Gerald Fried
      Lucien Ballard
      Betty Steinberg
      Ruth Sobotka
      Harry Reif

      News & Interviews for The Killing

      Critic Reviews for The Killing

      Audience Reviews for The Killing

      • Dec 24, 2020

        I love the early works of Stanley Kubrick as much as his literary-like masterpieces (2001, Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon). The Killing is a noir classic.

        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 11, 2016

        Being a relatively straightforward crime thriller makes it somewhat unique in the Kubrick filmography, and it's still one of the best movies in the genre.

        Super Reviewer
      • Nov 08, 2014

        Good, establishes tension by taking its time with the elaborate set-up. The theme of irony runs strong. Well-shot. It maybe would have even been better had the studio not forced the narration onto the film, against Kubrick's request -- in that way, it brings to mind the same dilemma of 'Blade Runner' and the difference between having its narration vs. without. Overall, a good film. I'd put it 3.5-4, but I'll bump it to 4 here.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jun 24, 2014

        A decent film noir and an interesting early work by Kubrick. One that is forgotten for good reason - it is passable but not terribly memorable. One can see Kubrick just pumping this out.

        Super Reviewer

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