The Killing (1956)

	Directed by: Stanley Kubrick	COUNTRY USA GENRE Heist/Film noir NORWEGIAN TITLE Spillet er tapt RUNNING TIME 84 minutes
	Produced by: James B. Harris
	Written by (based on "Clean Break" by Lionel White): Stanley Kubrick Jim Thompson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Johnny Clay	Sterling Hayden
Fay	Coleen Gray
Val Cannon	Vince Edwards
Marvin Unger	Jay C. Flippen	-
George Peatty	Elisha Cook Jr.
Sherry Peatty	Marie Windsor	½
Policeman Randy Kennan	Ted de Corsia	-
Mike O'Reilly	Joe Sawyer	-
Track parking attendant	James Edwards	-
Nikki Arcane	Timothy Carey	½
Joe "Piano"	Tito Vuolo	-
Tiny	Joe Turkel	-
Leo the Loanshark	Jay Adler	-
Maurice Oboukhoff	Kola Kwariani	-

Review

Stanley Kubrick's first major success was with this clever heist movie camouflaged as noir homage. Kubrick himself adapted Lionel White's novel "Clean Break" together with Jim Thompson (The Getaway), and the end result became a tight and suspenseful little film which has stood the test of time remarkably well. Even in the segments where its affinity with contemporary genre movies remain the most prevalent, such as with regards to the Sherry character, the movie has layers and nuance, not least represented through Elisha Cook's delicate George Peatty character. And the gritty, no-nonsense depiction of the crime plot gives the movie an instant appeal. The young Kubrick was equal amounts economical and visionary, which he demonstrated emphatically here on a shoestring budget in what was his first film with producer James B. Harris. They did it again a year later with the brilliant Paths of Glory. No wonder Quentin Tarantino cited The Killing as his main influence for Reservoir Dogs – they both stand as two of the best of their kind today.