The Killers (1964)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.0/10   

Director:

Don Siegel

Escritores:

Ernest Hemingway (story)
Gene L. Coon (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

7 julio 1964 (USA)

Género:

Crimen | Drama | Misterio

Frase comercial:

There is more than one way to kill a man!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Robbery | Teacher | School For The Blind | Violence | Helicopter Shot

Premios:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Very cool thriller

Reparto

Lee Marvin	...	Charlie Strom
Angie Dickinson	...	Sheila Farr
John Cassavetes	...	Johnny North
Clu Gulager	...	Lee
Claude Akins	...	Earl Sylvester
Norman Fell	...	Mickey Farmer
Ronald Reagan	...	Jack Browning
Virginia Christine	...	Miss Watson
Don Haggerty	...	Mail Truck Driver
Robert Phillips	...	George Flemming
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Miss Leslie, Secretary
Ted Jacques	...	Gym Assistant
Irvin Mosley	...	Mail Truck Guard
Jimmy Joyce	...	Sales Assistant
Davis Roberts	...	Maitre D'

También conocida como:

Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (USA) (promotional title)
Johnny North (USA) (working title)
Código del hampa (Spain) [es]

Duración:

93 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Clasificación:

Finland:(Banned) (1964) (uncut) | Finland:(Banned) (1964) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1968) (cut) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 (1964) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:M | Spain:18 | Sweden:15

Locaciones de Filmación:

Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California, USA

Compañía:

Revue Studios

Trivialidades:

Despite having a score composed by John Williams, the film's opening and end title music were lifted excerpts from Touch of Evil (1958) which was scored by Henry Mancini.

Errores:

Errores que Revelan: During the scene in Browning's office, part of the set casts a shadow on the background matte painting.

Citas:

Sheila Farr: ...just the two of us.
Johnny North: And more than a million dollars.
Sheila Farr: It'll be dangerous.
Johnny North: Living is dangerous.
Sheila Farr: Promise me you won't kill him.
Johnny North: I'm not a killer.

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in The Last Picture Show: A Look Back (1999) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

Too Little Time

Very cool thriller

I haven't seen Robert Siodmark's 1946 original, but since it's generally accepted to be better than this version; I sure want to see it! Second best, this may be, but that's certainly not to say that this isn't an excellent flick. Lee Marvin steps into the role of a hit-man brilliantly, and his no-nonsense performance really makes the film. He is joined by Clu Gulager as his fellow hit-man and partner into an investigation that comes about through Marvin as he wonders why he was paid so much to kill a former race car driver, who also didn't run away when he had the chance. What follows is a tour de force of gangster pulp fiction as the two hit men pay little visits to the various players in the plot behind the assassination they were contracted to commit. The style of the movie is delicious, and watching these two men stroll around coolly in their expensive suits while interrogating their various victims is a treat indeed. Several modern films, Pulp Fiction most obviously, have taken a lot of influence from this flick and it's always good to know where that influence came from.

The central pairing of Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager is what made the film for me. The way that they populate their scenes is excellent, with one of them doing the talking and the other fiddling around in the background. The way that this is orchestrated gives away a very understated coolness, which the film is always keen to capitalise on. The pair's chemistry is more to do with the style and how they look together than how they interact with each other; and that is right on cue. The Killers also benefits from an excellent support cast, which includes the likes of Ronald Reagan, Angie Dickinson and John Cassavetes. This film can't be considered noir because it's in colour, but this is about as close as you can get to the style without actually being a part of it. The film that it was based on was film noir, and this remake has managed to retain the foundations, even if it has lost the dark picture. On the whole, The Killers is an excellent picture and while what some people say about it being second to the original may be withstanding; I say this is an excellent flick in it's own right.