Film Review: The Killers (1946)

When it comes to adapting literature to screen, the short story appears a more receptive form than the novel, and this could be explained by its having less original content, leaving more space for filmmakers to manoeuvre. The great American writer Ernest Hemingway would probably have agreed with that, at least based on his experiences with Hollywood adapting his work. His 1927 short story The Killers served as the basis for the 1946 eponymous feature film directed by Robert Siodmak, which ultimately became not only his favourite Hollywood adaptation but also one of the classics of the film noir genre.

The original story was written during Prohibition and set in a Chicago suburb, allegedly inspired by the violent death of Andre Anderson, a boxer connected with organised crime. The plot of the film is set in 1946 and begins in the small town of Brentwood, New Jersey, where two menacing individuals named Al (played by Charles McGraw) and Max (played by William Conrad) arrive at a local diner and begin to inquire about a gas station attendant named Peter “The Swede” Lund (played by Burt Lancaster), not hiding their murderous intentions. Swede’s co-worker Nick Adams (played by Phil Brown) manages to get away and tries to warn Lund, who instead tells him that he is reconciled with his fate. After the Swede is shot to death, the investigation of the murder is taken on by Jim Reardon (played by Edmond O’Brien), an insurance investigator who must find the beneficiary of his insurance policy.

The investigation reveals that Lund’s real name was Ole Anderson, that he was a professional boxer from Philadelphia, and that, after the end of his career, he spent a few years in prison for stealing jewels. Through stories of his friends and acquaintances, which include Lt. Lubinsky (played by Sam Levene), Swede’s old friend and a Philadelphia police detective, Reardon reconstructs Swede’s involvement with Kitty Collins (played by Ava Gardner), the beautiful girlfriend of “Big Jim” Colfax (played by Albert Dekker), a minor crime boss who recruited Swede into a gang that carried out a spectacular payroll robbery in 1940.

Hemingway’s story was adapted very faithfully, which included using the characters’ dialogues, but its content takes up only about the first twenty minutes of the film. Thankfully, Hemingway had deliberately left the story open-ended and the characters’ motivations unexplained, thus allowing producer Mark Hellinger to fill the blanks with the script by Anthony Veiller (co-written by Richard Brooks and John Huston, who were left uncredited). The result is a typically “noirish” story about an ordinary man who should have known better but nevertheless gets seduced by the wrong woman and pays the ultimate price. The story is, in the best film noir fashion, told through multiple flashbacks. Robert Siodmak directs the film with great skill, which can be seen in the complex robbery scene that is shown in a single continuous shot. Siodmak also had composer Miklós Rózsa at his disposal, which resulted in a typically noirish soundtrack.

The greatest asset of the film, and its most memorable segment, is the cast. The Killers is best known as the feature film debut of Burt Lancaster, a former acrobat who would almost instantly become one of the greatest stars of Hollywood and maintain this status for a number of decades. The 33-year-old Lancaster put his imposing looks to good use, as well as his physical skills, especially in the boxing scenes during the flashback. But he also shows great acting ability, which makes the audience sympathise with his character despite his questionable life choices. Lancaster makes a great impression despite appearing in the film less than his star credit would indicate.

Another cast member who was launched into stardom is Ava Gardner, playing the typical noirish femme fatale, who performs a musical number that, despite being impressive, makes this film too Hollywood for its own good. Edmond O’Brien as the determined insurance investigator is solid, although his character obviously serves to conform the otherwise amoral world of The Killers to the guidelines of the Hays Code, which stipulated that all crimes must be punished. The rest of the cast is also quite impressive, most notably Albert Dekker as the slick villain, Sam Levene as the sympathetic policeman, Virginia Christine as Swede’s former girlfriend, and Vince Barnett as Swede’s old prison cellmate.

Despite an ending which is too melodramatic, The Killers represents a very good piece of cinema which deservedly succeeded at the box office. Hemingway’s story was later adapted twice – in 1956 as a Soviet short student film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and in 1964 as Don Siegel’s television film, which famously featured Ronald Reagan in his last acting role.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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