This opens atmospherically, then leads into a plot overcooked by several hours. Well filmed in black and white of course, it has a beautiful look for much of its running time. Edmond O'Brien who should be named as the lead as he has the most screen time and carries us along the plot is good, no better, Burt Lancaster in his first screen role is wooden or overacting, Ava Gardner is similarly poor and the rest of the cast just pass muster. Very overrated. If you want great noir try Murder My Sweet, This Gun For Hire or The Maltese Falcon, but this'll pass the time for you while looking good; no better than that.

The reason The Killers is remembered is it was Burt Lancaster's first movie. Yes, it's a film noir murder mystery, but if it didn't give birth to such a fantastic star, it probably would have been swept under the rug with the other low-budget 40s films.On the surface, it sounds like a cheesy story that someone wrote to make fun of old gangster movies. Burt's nickname is "The Swede" and Ava Gardner plays the slinky love interest Kitty Collins. Hit men and detectives make up the rest of the characters, and while there are twists and turns and flashbacks, it almost feels like it's spoofing itself.I found it most similar to another Burt Lancaster movie, Criss Cross, and it's not as good as the really memorable film noirs like Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. But maybe it's just me. Give it a watch and see what you think of it!

After out of town killers come into a small community to kill a garage mechanic/former boxer nicknamed "the Swede", an insurance investigator pieces together the crime--and the victim's reluctance to run when warned of his impending death. Gripping film noir, expanded from Ernest Hemingway's short story, is often misrepresented as the first of its kind when the genre (and these stylized characters) had been kicking around cinema for at least 10 years. Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner turn in star-making performances, though the seasoned character actors in the lesser roles are often just as good or better. Screenplay credited to Anthony Veiller, however both John Huston and Richard Brooks worked extensively on it. The melodramatic music by Miklós Rózsa and the striking cinematography by Woody Bredell both compliment the film tremendously. Remade in 1964 with Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson, in what was meant as a TV feature but instead was released to theaters. **1/2 from ****

Hit men kill an unresisting victim (Burt Lancaster), and investigator Reardon (Edmond O'Brien) uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner).The Siodmak brothers never get enough respect. In this case, I would be referring to Robert Siodmak, who directed this picture for Universal. While it may not have been the first film noir, it is a good example of how the genre works. Anonymous killers, questionable situations, and the stark shadows of black and white. (Noir can be in color, but it rarely works as well.) For Burt Lancaster fans, this also happens to be his first role, one he hits out of the park. I am not that familiar with his work, I freely admit, but if this is an example, he has a lot of potential and I should seek out other hidden gems.