The Killers

There are undisputed genre classics that I shrug off and, at best, give them an average rating. On the other hand, there are films that I find underrated. I include The Killers among them. Because of the number of reviewers on FilmBooster, it is essentially an unknown film, although it has been shown on television here several times. If I were to compile a ranking of the best noir films, The Killers would be somewhere in the second half of the top ten. The screenplay expands a short Hemingway story about a cold-blooded murder on demand into a sophisticated scam in the underworld that surfaces years later thanks to an inquisitive and tenacious insurance agent. The famous Burt Lancaster plays an unusual role as a victim, and he's not the main character in the film. Overall impression: 90%. (17/10/2013)

Another excellent noir film of its time, where it's evident that it didn't matter as much that the violence isn't depicted so believably or sometimes not at all. When you have a strong main character, you can tolerate some weaknesses in the portrayal that are influenced by the time period. The story itself is able to captivate, especially due to the constant uncertainty about what is actually going on. (02/10/2014)