(There are Spoilers) Showing up unannounced at the Sage Home for the Blind professional hit-men Charlie and Lee, Lee Marvin & Clu Gulager, acting with no concern at all for the physically disable persons who work and are patients there find whom they've been paid $25,000.00 each to rub out instructor Johnny Nichols, John Cassavetes. Not at all making any attempt to save himself Johnny waits for the enviable and gets it, a dozen slugs, as both Charlie & Lee empty their guns on him.
Later it plays on Charlie's mind the reason why Johnny was so serene looking and almost wanting to die! Making up his mind to find out the truth about Johnnys past Charlie and his hit-man pal Lee make it a point to check out the dead Nichols' friends and associates. Criss-crossing the country, from Florida to California, Charlie & Lee come up with a very intriguing story. Four years ago Johnny Nichols, who's real name turned out to be Johnny North, was involved in a million dollar mail-truck robbery with the money from that heist never being found or accounted for!
Being a top race car driver Johnny got in with the wrong crowd that included sexy but conniving Shelia Farr, Angie Dickinson. Told by his close friend and car mechanic Earl Sylvester, Claude Akins, that Shelia was nothing but trouble Johnny ignored him ending up out of shape, form partying with Shelia, for the big upcoming race. Neglecting Earl's advice not only cost Johnny his car which was totaled in the race but career as a top professional race car driver as well. Trying to make a living by drifting from one cheap track to another racing old and decrepit jalopies and using assumed names Johnny is later again approached by Shelia. It turns out that Shelia is now in tight with these gangsters who's boss Jack Browing, Roland Reagan, she's romantically involved with. Browning planning a major mail robbery needed an expert driver and Shelia convinced him that Johnny was his man. Johnny just couldn't get Shelia out of his mind and not only agreed to take the job but planned to take her away from the dangerous and vindictive Browning as well.
All this is seen in flashback with the two hit-men, Charlie & Lee, tracking down a number of Johnny's partners in the mail robbery. Told by one of the robbers Mickey Farmer, Norman Fell, that the robbery went off without a hitch. But later Johnny doubled-crossed him & Browning and his fellow mail robber the deceased George Flemming, Robert Philips. By kicking Browning out of the getaway car and then taking off with the stolen million.
Johnny did somehow get away from the Browing gang but not from hit-men Charlie & Lee. At the end of the movie we finally find out just who hired these two hit-men in the first place and even worse, or far more sinister, what his real reasons were.
Re-make of the film-noir 1946 classic,"The Killers" with Burt Lancaster, with future Presdent of the United States Ronald Wilson Reagan in what turned out to be not only his last movie role. The film also turned out to be his one and only part, in the some 50 films that he stared in, where the good natured friendly and affable actor played a heavy; the ruthless cold-blooded and back-stabbing hood "Black Jack" Browning.
Later it plays on Charlie's mind the reason why Johnny was so serene looking and almost wanting to die! Making up his mind to find out the truth about Johnnys past Charlie and his hit-man pal Lee make it a point to check out the dead Nichols' friends and associates. Criss-crossing the country, from Florida to California, Charlie & Lee come up with a very intriguing story. Four years ago Johnny Nichols, who's real name turned out to be Johnny North, was involved in a million dollar mail-truck robbery with the money from that heist never being found or accounted for!
Being a top race car driver Johnny got in with the wrong crowd that included sexy but conniving Shelia Farr, Angie Dickinson. Told by his close friend and car mechanic Earl Sylvester, Claude Akins, that Shelia was nothing but trouble Johnny ignored him ending up out of shape, form partying with Shelia, for the big upcoming race. Neglecting Earl's advice not only cost Johnny his car which was totaled in the race but career as a top professional race car driver as well. Trying to make a living by drifting from one cheap track to another racing old and decrepit jalopies and using assumed names Johnny is later again approached by Shelia. It turns out that Shelia is now in tight with these gangsters who's boss Jack Browing, Roland Reagan, she's romantically involved with. Browning planning a major mail robbery needed an expert driver and Shelia convinced him that Johnny was his man. Johnny just couldn't get Shelia out of his mind and not only agreed to take the job but planned to take her away from the dangerous and vindictive Browning as well.
All this is seen in flashback with the two hit-men, Charlie & Lee, tracking down a number of Johnny's partners in the mail robbery. Told by one of the robbers Mickey Farmer, Norman Fell, that the robbery went off without a hitch. But later Johnny doubled-crossed him & Browning and his fellow mail robber the deceased George Flemming, Robert Philips. By kicking Browning out of the getaway car and then taking off with the stolen million.
Johnny did somehow get away from the Browing gang but not from hit-men Charlie & Lee. At the end of the movie we finally find out just who hired these two hit-men in the first place and even worse, or far more sinister, what his real reasons were.
Re-make of the film-noir 1946 classic,"The Killers" with Burt Lancaster, with future Presdent of the United States Ronald Wilson Reagan in what turned out to be not only his last movie role. The film also turned out to be his one and only part, in the some 50 films that he stared in, where the good natured friendly and affable actor played a heavy; the ruthless cold-blooded and back-stabbing hood "Black Jack" Browning.