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The Killers (The Criterion Collection)

Burt Lancaster (Actor), Ava Gardner (Actor), Robert Siodmak (Director) Rated:
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Format: DVD
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 609 ratings
IMDb7.7/10.0
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Format NTSC, Special Edition, Black & White, Multiple Formats
Contributor Robert Siodmak, Edmond O'Brien, Richard Brooks, Ernest Hemingway, Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Anthony Veiller, John Huston See more
Language English
Runtime 3 hours and 16 minutes
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The Killers (1946)
This 1946 adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story adds well over an hour of new material to the original tale. The reason is, while director Robert Siodmak, star Burt Lancaster, and an outstanding supporting cast are faithful to Hemingway's work, his story only takes up about 15 minutes of screen time. Burt Lancaster plays the doomed man sought by hired guns in a small town. Hemingway's bruisingly concise dialogue makes an early sequence set in a diner quite unnerving, but after the killers dispense with their prey, Siodmak turns to an insurance investigator (Edmond O'Brien) who looks into the reasons behind the murder. An exemplary film noir (complete with a fickle femme fatale played by Ava Gardner), The Killers is all mood and fatalism.

The Killers (1964)
The 1964 remake (of sorts) by Don Siegel builds another whole world around Hemingway's narrow, if intense, premise. The two assassins of Siegel's film (Clu Gulager, Lee Marvin) go in search of their intended victim--a teacher (John Cassavetes) at a school for the blind--and find that he not only recognizes his fate when they show up, but seems entirely resigned to it. Curiosity leads the killers to seek out the party who hired them and discover why Cassavetes's character didn't run or fight. Soon the facts tumble into place--the dead man had once been a top-drawer racer who fell for a glamorous woman (Angie Dickinson), the latter gradually pulling him into the orbit of a criminal villain (a convincingly evil Ronald Reagan)--and the film becomes increasingly dark and dangerous. Originally shot for television but rejected for its violence, Siegel's film is a blistering experience of swimming against the currents of fate for one's survival--and losing. --Tom Keogh

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.54 x 0.75 x 0.07 inches; 0.8 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Robert Siodmak
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Special Edition, Black & White, Multiple Formats
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours and 16 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ February 18, 2003
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00007ELDG
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Anthony Veiller, Ernest Hemingway, John Huston, Richard Brooks
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 609 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
609 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dragnet Webb
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film noir with fantastic performances, especially first-timer Burt Lancaster
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
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Burt Lancaster received star-billing in his very first film, and he does a great job. We see his life in flashback since (and this is no real spoiler) he is killed by two gunmen a little over ten minutes into the movie. What is strange is that he was warned beforehand and did nothing to stop their coming after him. An insurance investigator (played by the always-excellent Edmond O'Brien) learns that Lancaster has left what money he had to someone and O'Brien has to straighten out the story of Lancaster's life for the insurance books. We are taken back through Lancaster's life by O'Brien talking to people Burt knew, through his boxing career, then his unfortunate drifting in criminal activity, and especially his involvment with a femme fatale in the form of a very young and beautiful Ava Gardner. How all these things led to Lancaster accepting his fate is what drives the story, and we get satisfaction even after Lancaster's story is complete. And we get to see really how much a dark lady Gardner was. Excellent stuff and highly recommended.
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HAL lives!
5.0 out of 5 stars If they had a chance they ran... but he just stood there...
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2003
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The first thing I would like to say is that "The Killers," is a superb production from the people at Criterion. Long renowned for the excellence of their titles, they really have outdone themselves this time `round. Not only do we have the two feature length versions of Hemmingway's story, from 1946 and 1964 respectively, but we have a wonderfully atmospheric audio reading of the original by Stacy Keach, a 1949 radio adaptation, AND Andriie Tarkovsky's 1956 student film version; "The Killers" x 5!!! Of the rest of the extensive "extras," the jewel in the crown is an interview with Clu Gulager, filmed in 2002, in which he tells some great stories about the 1964 production, and Lee Marvin in particular!
As much as I'm a huge fan of Film Noir, and Burt Lancaster, I have to admit I'd never even heard of the original 1946 version... shame on me! No, I bought this for the masterful Don Siegel version, staring Marvin, Gulager, Angie Dickenson, John Cassavetes, and in his only "bad guy" role, the future President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan! Indeed, it was one of the first films I looked for on DVD when I got my shiny-disc machine, and this is somewhat surprising, as I'd only ever seen the film once, sometime back in the 70's, on British TV!
This film, especially its electrifying final scenes, featuring an incredible performance by Marvin, seared itself into my memory for the better part of 30 years, and watching it again after all this time has NOT been a disappointment! The character of hit man "Charlie Strom" was, for me, the defining image of Lee Marvin. Tough - damn, forget "tough," we're talking hard-as-nails here! - menacing, cold, logical, world weary, and brutal, when the situation warrants it. His presence drives the film, a powerhouse performance; he commands the screen every minute he's up there on it, something Clu Gulager talks about in detail. And Clu's character, "Lee," is as different from Marvin's as it's possible to get. Younger and "hipper," he wears his shades because they make him look cool, and not just to disguise his identity. He's a health nut, always ready to crack a joke, but he has a sadistic streak, he enjoys the fear he instills in people, and whereas "Strom' uses violence as a tool, "Lee" enjoys it for its own sake.
Separated by nearly 20 years in the making, the films are, in reality, light years apart in everything but the name. The 1946 version starts strong when two hit men, Max and Al, played by William Conrad - anyone remember "Cannon?!" - and Charles McGraw respectively, breeze into town, then park themselves in the local dinner. They spit out wonderfully hard-boiled Hemmingway dialogue almost verbatim from the original story, terrorize the staff, and then go off to kill "The Swede." And that is where the original story ends, and it's exactly here that the film runs out of steam, with a dogged insurance investigator, played by Edmond O'Brian, spending the next hour or so trying to piece together what happened to "The Swede." It's effectively done, using flashbacks from various characters, but in comparison to those first 15 minutes or so, it seems pretty lightweight.
Don Siegal's "The Killers," on the other hand, is altogether much stronger meat. He takes the basic premise of Hemmingway's story, a man accepting his own death at the hands of two paid hit men, and runs with it in an entirely different direction. Told entirely from the perspective of the hit men themselves, the story really takes off when Marvin's character starts to think about what just happened, why the mark, ex-racing driver "Johnny North," didn't try to escape, didn't plead for his life. "If they had a chance," he says of all his previous hits, "they ran... but he just stood there and took it." Just as the original film used the device of flashbacks to tell the story, "Strom" and "Lee" set about joining the dots as they track down the various players in this dark morality tale concerning the missing dough from a robbery, a triple-crossing dame, and a love-sick fall-guy. There isn't a wasted line of dialogue or a superfluous frame of celluloid in the whole production, every part is played to perfection, including Claude Akins as "North's" old racing partner, and a wonderfully slimy Ronald Reagan, all pomaded hair, pursed lips, and cocked eyebrow, as crime boss "Jack Browning."
Siegal's "The Killers" was planned as the original TV Movie, but, possibly, in the aftermath of JFK's assassination, the film was deemed to be too violent, the subject matter of two gunmen committing cold-blooded murder just too much for network television. By today's standards, however, the violence is minimal, although the actual hit itself is very effectively staged. But then again, what makes it work are the performances of Marvin, Gulager, and Cassavetes, and the setting, a school for the blind where "North" is a teacher; there's no graphic, blood splattered, "dance of death!"
As a piece of modern Noir, I think Siegal's "The Killers" is exemplary, as is the magnificent production from The Criterion Collection... this really IS Essential Cinema, buy it today, you won't regret it!
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ASUDevil75
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting plot, beautifully shot and casted with talent - If you love films, watch this.
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2024
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Burt Lancaster in his prime as an actor, to prevent any “spoilers”, I’ll avoid diving into plot lines and simply state this: if you love the Black and White “Noire” look of vintage Hollywood then you should definitely watch this film. The dramatic way light and shadow is used makes those elements actors themselves in this film in my opinion. The movie captured my attention from the beginning and the main plot held my interest easily - an enjoyable cinematic experience.
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Tim F. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars All around great film noir, one of the best
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2020
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Classic film noir, I think one of the best ever made, with an interesting story structure, great cast, lots of delicious double crosses, and some of the best lighting in film noir I have ever seen. The film is largely told through a series of flashbacks, explaining the murder of seemingly the main character of the film very early on, Pete Lund or “the Swede” (played by Burt Lancaster), gunned down in his boarding house room one evening by two gunmen. Though warned they were on their way, he chose to not flee or defend himself and he is killed.

What seemed like a confusing way to start a film was actually brilliant, as a life insurance investigator named Jim Reardon (played by Edmond O’Brien), is assigned to find and pay the sole beneficiary of Lund’s $2,500 policy. Unsatisfied with just finding the person (a person who barely had any relationship at all with the Swede), Reardon falls down a rabbit hole investigating the Swede’s life, finding out about Lund’s past career as a boxer (when he was gunned down he was working at a gas station in Brentwood, New Jersey), his past associates (many of them criminals), his involvement in a robbery, and a femme fatale in his life (Kitty Collins, played by Ava Gardner). It could have been a confusing mess but it wasn’t, though a few aspects of the story aren’t cleared up until nearly the very end of the film.

Quite a bit of gunplay in a few scenes, not much in the way of car chases, some fist fights but not a lot. Ava Gardner really did a great job in the role, at times vulnerable (though perhaps calculatedly so), at other times tough as nails, her character portrayed with a bit of an arc. Burt Lancaster also did a great job in the lead as both tough but also naïve, you can see his downward spiral as his boxing career and the wiles of Kitty Collins leads him to his ruin, a fall that other characters try to escape from too. Very nicely done. A few good lines, especially late in the film, the two gunmen sent to kill Lund are well cast (the titular killers, Charles McGraw as Al and William Conrad as Max, the latter of later _Jake and the Fatman_ fame), really good camera work, just all around a great film noir.
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Paul Stapleton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film Noir
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2023
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Well worth it if you like film noir.
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W. Peter
5.0 out of 5 stars arrived quickly from Germany
Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2024
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These 2 variations on The Killers are worth it. Criterion is excellent in providing quality picture and special features. This package includes a third version by a Russian Director.
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Jacqueline younes
5.0 out of 5 stars Entrega
Reviewed in Spain on March 27, 2021
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Excellente
Entrega muy rapida
Gracias
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VOLKER
5.0 out of 5 stars "ALTER SCHWEDE !!"
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2020
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Es dürfte kein Geheimnis sein, dass jener Film schockierend- aufrüttelnd beginnt. Auch aus heutiger Sicht bin ich überrascht, was sich die Filmemacher damals im Jahre 1946 trauten. Wobei es in besagter einführender Szene letztlich schnell geht -- lange, ausufernde Greueltaten gibt es nicht. Und trotzdem -- vielleicht aufgrund der gezeigten inhaltlichen "Härte" wurde noch im selben Jahr offiziell der Begriff "Film Noir" geprägt. Doch dazu gleich noch etwas mehr .....

Zunächst zum eigentlichen Produkt: 98 Minuten ist das Filmwerk lang. Bild und Ton sind sehr gut. Es wurde durchgängig synchronisiert. Als Extras gibt es den dazugehörigen Trailer, aber auch eine etwas längere Bildergalerie (überwiegend Kinoposter, aber auch kolorierte Einzelbilder aus dem Film). Als wirklicher Kaufanreiz dürfte das längere (englischsprachige) Radio- Special aus dem Jahre 1949 sein. Es ist musikalisch aufwändig gestaltet. Wir hören tatsächlich den Regisseur Robert Siodmak und die Schauspieler Burt Lancaster, Shelley Winters, William Conrad. Dies ist eine ganz besondere Rarität. Ah, und nicht zu vergessen: Ein 16 seitiges Büchlein ist in das Innencover fest eingearbeitet. Insgesamt hat man sich hier wirklich Mühe gegeben.

Noch schnell zur Vorgeschichte: Der unabhängig gewordene Filmproduzent Mark Hellinger wollte seinen ersten Film für die Universal- Studios drehen. Er war mit dem Erfolgsautor Ernest Hemingway befreundet und sicherte sich die Rechte an dessen Script "Die Killers". Zudem schnappte er sich Regisseur Robert Siodmak (dessen Karriere 1945 durch "Die Wendeltreppe" neuen Auftrieb erhalten hatte) und den Erfolgskomponisten Miklos Rosza (unvergesslich: sein Soundtrack zu "Der Dieb von Bagdad", 1940). Für bekannte Spitzenstars fehlte nun offensichtlich das Geld. So setzte man auf erfolgshungrige Darsteller -- und vor allem auf Burt Lancaster in seiner allerersten Filmrolle überhaupt!

Nun endlich kurz zum Inhalt. Ich glaube, niemals zuvor habe ich die Universal- Filmkugel sich in solch tiefem Dunkel drehen sehen. Ebenso selten habe ich eine einsetzende Filmmusik so markant und hektisch hören müssen. Und wie schon gesagt: Kaum jemals zuvor begann ein "alter Schinken" so beklemmend: Zwei Auftragskiller treffen am frühen Abend kurz vor 18 Uhr (die Uhrzeit ist wichtig) in einer Imbissstube einer verschlafenen US- Kleinstadt ein. Sie suchen einen Mann mit wechselndem Namen, daher kurz genannt "der Schwede" (Burt Lancaster). Dieser wird noch schnell gewarnt. Doch er macht keine Anstalten zu fliehen. Warum???

Die Szenerie wechselt und wir begleiten fortan einen Versicherungsdetektiv (Edmund O'Brien) bei den Aufklärungsarbeiten des Falles. Sein Schwung und imponierender Einsatz wie auch manchmal frecher Wortwitz erinnern mich an die späteren James Bond- Filme: Er verhält sich selbstbewusst gegenüber seinem biederen, knochentrockenen Chef, lümmelt zunehmend in dessen Besucherstuhl und verhält sich kess gegenüber der fleißigen Sekretärin. Und er hat sich etwas in den Kopf gesetzt.....

Erst nach 38 Minuten Filmzeit kommt endlich die Dame ins Spiel, auf die wir alle so sehr warten (Ava Gardner). Ähnlich wie Ingrid Bergman im filmhistorischen "Casablanca" (1942) erhält sie zur Einführung eine Gesangseinlage. Burt Lancaster ist ihr sofort verfallen. "Natürlich" wird es eine Dreiecks- Beziehung geben und Ava Gardner wird abwechselnd Burt Lancaster und Albert Dekker (den Gangster Colfax) für ihre Zwecke einsetzen wollen.

"Rächer der Unterwelt" wurde für damalige Verhältnisse zu einem Riesenerfolg und wurde für vier Oskars vorgeschlagen (beste Regie, Schnitt, Drehbuch, Musik). Er gilt als ein Aushängeschild des "Film Noir"; ein Begriff, der 1946 von dem Filmkritiker Nino Frank geprägt wurde.

Und diese dafür typischen Stilelemente erleben wir in diesem Film: Starke Hell- und Dunkel- Kontraste, eine Schärfentiefe, in der dunkle Lichttöne ihre Schatten über Personen oder Räumlichkeiten werfen. Die sogenannte Low- Key- Fotografie, ein visueller Stil, der die handelnden Personen gern in Großaufnahme zeigt, dann aber auch mit abrupt wechselnden Kameraperspektiven u.a. per Weitwinkelobjektiven, dabei manchmal dominant von unten nach oben, in Einzelfällen sogar schräg. Die eigentliche Schnittfrequenz ist langsam, hier erfolgt z.B. erst nach durchschnittlich 12,5 Sekunden der nächste Schnitt. Wir erleben Rückblenden, also mehrere zeitliche Erzählebenen, oft sogar von unterschiedlichen Personen, dabei manchmal dokumentarisch. Damit verbunden ist das Voice- Over, eine Tonaufnahme aus der handelnden Gegenwart wird auf eine Szene der Vergangenheit gesetzt, sozusagen eine Art "Wegweiser" oder "Erinnerungstext". Die Grundstimmung und Atmosphäre ist pessimistischer als im sonstigen (vergleichsweise) "verkitschten" Hollywood. Es gibt moralische Zwickmühlen, meist ausgelöst durch eine manipulierende, verruchte Femme Fatale (hier Ava Gardner). Die psychologische Spannung liegt weniger auf der kriminellen Tat, sondern auf der (oft wechselhaften) Beziehung der handelnden Personen untereinander.

Ich selbst kann es dabei nicht verstehen, dass Edmund O' Brien (1915- 1985; bitte nicht verwechseln mit Pat O'Brien, der ebenso führende Nebenrollen in Kriminalfilmen spielte) in "Rächer der Unterwelt" nicht als Hauptdarsteller gelistet wird. Er spielt den Versicherungsagenten absolut imponierend. Er braucht sich nicht hinter Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, etc zu verstecken. Nur auf einigen wenigen Filmpostern der Bildergalerie steht er (zurecht) an erster Stelle. 1954 sollte er einen Oskar als (wiederum) bester Nebendarsteller erhalten, und zwar in "Die barfüßige Gräfin".

Dort, in "Die barfüßige Gräfin", spielte auch Ava Gardner (1922- 1990) wieder mit, die hier in "Rächer der Unterwelt" als diebische, verruchte Femme Fatale ihren Durchbruch feiern durfte. Sie blieb 40 Jahre lang im Filmgeschäft aktiv, zuletzt per Gastauftritt in diversen TV- Serien. Das American Film Institute setzt sie in seiner großen Jahrhundertliste auf Rang 25 der größten weiblichen Filmstars.

Ebenso zum Leinwand- Gigant wurde Burt Lancaster (1913- 1994). Als Kind soll er schmächtig gewesen sein, dann aber eine Ausbildung als Akrobat und Trapezkünstler abgeschlossen haben. Nebenher soll er Damen- Unterwäsche verkauft haben (ich könnte mir vorstellen: sehr erfolgreich). Er gilt als Sinnbild einer Bilderbuchkarriere: In einem Aufzug soll er einem Theaterproduzenten begegnet sein, der ihn sogleich für mehrere Wochen auf die Bühne holte. Dort soll Filmproduzent Mark Hellinger auf ihn aufmerksam geworden sein. Ohne jegliche Schauspielerfahrung durfte Burt Lancaster sodann die offizielle Hauptrolle in "Rächer der Unterwelt" übernehmen. Und was für ein "hartes Brot" kam gleich auf ihn zu: Er spielt einen Vollblutromantiker, dazu voller sexueller Begierde, mit starkem Hang zum Masochisten bis hin zum Wunsch nach Selbstmord und bewegt sich nebenbei auch noch in Gangsterkreisen. Die Liste seiner weiteren Filmerfolge ist endlos. Nur herausgegriffen seien "Der rote Korsar" (1952), "Massai, der große Apache" (1954) und "Trapez" (1956). Das American Film Institute setzt ihn auf Rang 19 der besten männlichen Darsteller. 1986 durfte er noch einmal mit einer weiteren "Film Noir"- Ikone ran, mit Kirk Douglas in "Archie und Harry" (1986).

Aus insgesamt 43 Rückblenden soll sich "Rächer der Unterwelt" zusammensetzen. Meiner Meinung nach ist das etwas zuviel des Guten. Außerdem bleibt nach manchen Rückschauen offensichtlich "zur Erholung" für eine knappe Sekunde der gesamte Bildschirm dunkel, was mich bei dieser Häufigkeit doch etwas nervt. Rein inhaltlich finde ich das Motiv für den Auftrag an die beiden Killer ein klein wenig schwammig. Auch nicht mehr vertieft oder so klar herausgearbeitet wird, wieso "der Schwede" letztlich nicht fliehen will (zumindest in der Eingangsszene nennt er den Grund). So viele prägend- prickelnde Auftritte der Femme Fatale (ob mit oder ob ohne Burt Lancaster) gibt es meiner Meinung nach auch nicht. Und wer zum Teufel hat Burt Lancaster dessen abartig- schrecklich gewellte Wirsingkraut- Frisur verpasst?!

Doch wiederum ist sehr erfreulich: Gerade wegen der vielen Rückblenden erscheint mir "Rächer der Unterwelt" gefühlsmäßig schier endlos lang. Für diese Rezension habe ich das Werk extra zweimal innerhalb von einer Woche angeschaut, entdeckte dabei sehr viel "Neues" und freue mich nun schon auf ein drittes oder viertes Mal (vielleicht in einem Jahr). Mit TV- Werbeunterbrechungen sollte man sich diesen Film also auf keinen Fall anschauen. Und nun zum bitteren Schluss, dann sind Sie, verehrter Leser, endlich wieder in die "Helligkeit" erlöst: Aufgrund der vielen interessanten Ereignisse wie auch spannungsfördernden filmtechnischen Stilmittel vergebe ich ohne tiefere moralische Zwickmühle gerne fünf rabenschwarze Sterne.
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Movienut
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic noir
Reviewed in Australia on June 29, 2019
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Lived up to everything I had read about it
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Nobody
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Film Noir
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2007
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The Killers was directed in 1946 by Robert Siodmak (Criss Cross, 1948; The Spiral Staircase, 1945) and was adapted by Anthony Villier and John Huston from the Ernest Hemingway story of the same name. Much of the film is told in flashback sequences similar to that of Citizen Kane (1941). An insurance investigator, played by Edmond O' Brian (DOA 1950; Barefoot Contessa 1954), attempts to solve the murder of `Swede' who is gunned down by two hitmen. Burt Lancaster stars as `Swede' in his film debut and would later star in Criss Cross also. This truly is a brilliant film noir with some excellent dialogue, especially in the opening diner scene (lifted straight out of short story), as well as superb cinematography. The Killers also made a star out of Ava Gardener as the femme fatale interest Kitty. I don't think however she is as great a femme fatale as say Lana Turner, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall or Gloria Grahame were in similar roles. The Killers was a critical as well as box-office hit and received an Oscar nomination this year but lost out to William Wyler's `The Best Years Of Our Lives'

The DVD package is very basic with no extras but is a decent transfer.
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