Then there are the heist films that remind us that stealing things is not always fun and games and thieves not always dashing gents in nice suits, but violent criminals. Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing gives us a daring, violent and very tense robbery, from planning to execution to aftermath.
The Killing follows the usual trajectory of heist films: the introduction of the criminals, the ‘getting the gang’ back together, our hero and the woman he loves, the planning stages, and finally the heist itself. The characters are fairly straight-forward and identifiable films noir types, played by noir actors: a corrupt cop (Ted de Corsia), an inside man (Elisha Cook Jr.), an elderly thief (Jay C. Flippen), the bad girl (Marie Windsor), the sharpshooter (Timothy Carey), the criminal who plans to make one last big score and then retire (Sterling Hayden). This is not a recipe for success, though.
The Killing takes interest not just in the crime itself, but the psychology behind it. Things do not start to go badly because of lack of planning, but because of the psychological make-up of each of the criminals, their foibles and failings and successes. The heist of two million dollars from a race-track is clever and tightly conceived, involving a combination of good timing and lucky (or unlucky) coincidence.
What makes The Killing a great heist film is the balance of strict planning and the psychology of each member of the team, creating an almost nihilistic paradigm in which this heist can only end one way. It’s the getting there that is so fascinating. The Killing is brilliant and taut, without ever exceeding itself. It is the dark side of the heist.
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