IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
Surprised that their contract victim didn't try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.Surprised that their contract victim didn't try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.Surprised that their contract victim didn't try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Ernest Hemingway(story)
- Gene L. Coon(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Ernest Hemingway(story)
- Gene L. Coon(screenplay)
- Stars
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Videos1
Irvin Mosley Jr.
- Mail Truck Guardas Mail Truck Guard
- (as Irvin Mosley)
- Director
- Writers
- Ernest Hemingway(story)
- Gene L. Coon(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
A remake of The Killers (1946) which itself was inspired by the Ernest Hemingway short story. Told instead from the hitmen's point of view, the killers decide to find out why their latest victim (a race car driver) "just stood there and took it" when they came to shoot him. They also figure on collecting more money. Ronald Reagan plays a rich, double-crossing financier. Lovely Angie Dickinson plays the femme fatale. —Mark Logan <marklo@west.sun.com>
- Taglines
- Explosively NEW ... In Color!
- Genres
- Certificate
- Passed
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Don Siegel, it was the policy at "Universal" at the time to shoot the last scene of the film first. On that first day of filming, according to Siegel and Clu Gulager, Lee Marvin arrived late and had been drinking, but because he had no dialogue, the scenes were used as shot.
- GoofsThe rear-screen projection used for the go-cart racing scene is poorly done, and the editing from the process shots to the main shots, with the change in color, brightness, and sharpness is jarring. It is the same with the driving during the race, where multiple studio lights can be seen reflected on the car and drivers' helmets.
- Quotes
Charlie Strom: Lady, I don't have the time.
- Crazy creditsThe style of the film's credits reflects its original made-for-TV origins: in 1960s TV movies, Stars, Co-stars, and Featured Players were listed only in the opening credits, while supporting players were listed only in the closing credits.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Biography: Angie Dickinson: Tinseltown's Classiest Broad (1999)
- SoundtracksToo Little Time
Music by Henry Mancini
Lyrics by Don Raye
Sung by Nancy Wilson
[Johnny and Sheila dance to the song performed at the nightclub]
Top review
Ahead of it's time, uncompromising b-grade thriller.
Don Siegel's 'The Killers' is a diamond in the rough! Initially filmed for television, its technical limitations are easily overlooked as they are more than compensated for by the drive of the no-nonsense narrative, and the high standards of the acting. Caught somewhere between Kubrick's 'The Killing' and Boorman's 'Point Blank', it may not be as flamboyantly impressive as either, but it is just as memorable in its own low key way.
Quentin Tarantino has admitted that the structure of 'The Killing' has influenced him, but after watching 'The Killers', one must question whether this movie is also high on his list. Especially as the cooler-than-thou hit-men played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager almost anticipate Travolta and Jackson's similarly quirky ones in 'Pulp Fiction' thirty years later. Just like Vincent and Jules, Charlie and Lee are eccentric and likable when "off duty" and brutal sociopaths when on. Lee Marvin is one of Hollywood's legendary screen tough guys, and his performance here is as good as any he ever did, but the real stand out for me is Clu Gulager's health nut contract killer. He just about steals every scene he is in. Up to this point he was mainly known as a Western TV star. Why this role didn't launch him into a Bruce Dern/Harry Dean Stanton/Dick Miller style career baffles me. Instead he was mainly consigned to the "made for TV" wasteland, and never got the breaks his talent deserved.
Marvin and Gulager's star turns are backed up by strong supporting performances from John Cassavetes, as their enigmatic "job", Angie Dickinson, a double-crossing femme fatale, and Ronald Reagan in a surprising turn as a nasty gangster. Also keep an eye out for a dialogue-free cameo by a very young looking Seymour Cassel!
'The Killers' looks better and better as the years go by. Not without flaws, sure, and calling it a masterpiece would be overkill, but it's a movie that was ahead of it's time in many ways, and it can't help but impress discerning fans of 50s/60s b-grade crime movies, film noir, or Sam Fuller.
Quentin Tarantino has admitted that the structure of 'The Killing' has influenced him, but after watching 'The Killers', one must question whether this movie is also high on his list. Especially as the cooler-than-thou hit-men played by Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager almost anticipate Travolta and Jackson's similarly quirky ones in 'Pulp Fiction' thirty years later. Just like Vincent and Jules, Charlie and Lee are eccentric and likable when "off duty" and brutal sociopaths when on. Lee Marvin is one of Hollywood's legendary screen tough guys, and his performance here is as good as any he ever did, but the real stand out for me is Clu Gulager's health nut contract killer. He just about steals every scene he is in. Up to this point he was mainly known as a Western TV star. Why this role didn't launch him into a Bruce Dern/Harry Dean Stanton/Dick Miller style career baffles me. Instead he was mainly consigned to the "made for TV" wasteland, and never got the breaks his talent deserved.
Marvin and Gulager's star turns are backed up by strong supporting performances from John Cassavetes, as their enigmatic "job", Angie Dickinson, a double-crossing femme fatale, and Ronald Reagan in a surprising turn as a nasty gangster. Also keep an eye out for a dialogue-free cameo by a very young looking Seymour Cassel!
'The Killers' looks better and better as the years go by. Not without flaws, sure, and calling it a masterpiece would be overkill, but it's a movie that was ahead of it's time in many ways, and it can't help but impress discerning fans of 50s/60s b-grade crime movies, film noir, or Sam Fuller.
helpful•407
- Infofreak
- Nov 20, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ernest Hemingway's The Killers
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $750,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $8,944
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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