The Killers
1946, NR, 105 min.
Directed by Robert Siodmak, Starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene.

Developed from an Ernest Hemingway short story, Robert Siodmak’s film noir classic The Killers (not to be confused with Don Siegel’s also wonderful 1964 version of The Killers, co-starring Ronald Reagan in his final screen role as the white-collar bad guy) is a genuine treat. Burt Lancaster makes his screen debut in this 1946 movie as the Swede, a curious man who fatalistically accepts his death at the hands of hired killers – the nugget that’s also the gist of the Hemingway story. Well, you know what they say about femme fatales, and Ava Gardner was one of the best.

This article appears in April 25 • 2003.

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