Blu-Ray Review: The Killing + Killer's Kiss

In 1960, Stanley Kubrick was offered a chance to blow the world away with his high budget gladiatorial epic, Spartacus; and then moved on to making jaw dropping spectacles such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. All of this was made possible after his first four feature films of the 1950s. Two war films; Fear And Desire & Paths To Glory; and two film-noir crime films; Killer's Kiss & The Killing. Only the latter of each genre were regarded as classics while the others pretty much fell back into obscurity.

The fantastic folks over at Arrow Films have brought one of those classics; The Killing, to life and revived the underseen and underrated Killer's Kiss too. This is a terrific and surprisingly dark, noir double bill in outstanding 1080p quality.

The Killing

Dir: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1956

Cast: Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor

Genre: Film-Noir/Crime/Thriller

Running Time: 85 mins

Cert: 12

Synopsis

An ex convict, a bookie, a crooked cop, a bartender, a reformed alcoholic, a wrestler and a sharpshooter all band together to pull off an intricate and dangerous robbery of a racetrack for two million dollars - it all seems so simple until the bookie's cheating wife gets wind of their plan and tries to pin them against each other as well as have her lover and one of his cronies rip off the gang for their massive haul. 

Review

One of the most unexpectedly violent and thrilling film noirs of the 50s, The Killing truly shines in its strong performances from the entire cast, while in some ways breaking the mould of the conventional noir. Expertly made at the young age (especially for the time) of 28, it really shows his incredible prowess as a top film-maker. 

Though he had issues with cinematographer, Lucien Ballard, his vision still clearly comes through and with great power. Visually it moves so fluid, it feels like a standard crime film with a nice bit of flair on top, compared to Killer's Kiss which also looks superb, but fits into the film-noir style of creative stationary shots and harsh lighting. 

Filled with genuine intensity and some legitimately shocking moments, this spectacular noir will surely not disappoint any crime fans. It includes a notable device of hiding a shotgun within a box of flowers, continuously borrowed from modern action films and thrillers. 

The 1080p transfer is something to marvel, it's strikingly high quality print and clear audio. It does the film a well deserved justice. All of the extras are fantastic too, two great informative interviews about Kubrick himself and a French TV interview from 1970 with Sterling Hayden. British director, Ben Wheatley's interview was especially enjoyable as I share almost all of the same opinions as him, I had the pleasure of doing a masterclass with him in 2014 and was lucky enough to get my copy of Kill List signed.

It also features classic trailers for both The Killing & Killer's Kiss. The Killing selling itself highly on the violence - it feels like a Grindhouse trailer! I would have liked a few more extras in terms of the creation of the films but I suppose only so much was actually available.

This is definitely a must buy for any avid crime fan and a fine addition to the remastered Kubrick collection.

Killer's Kiss

Dir: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1955

Cast: Jamie Smith, Frank Silvera, Irene Kane

Genre: Film-Noir/Crime/Drama/Thriller

Running Time: 65 mins

Cert: 12

Synopsis

A prize fighter rescues his neighbour from an attack by her sleazy boss, causing them to fall in love. Her boss, overcome with jealousy and anger, kidnaps her and sends a wave of goons to eliminate the fighter, leaving him no choice but to battle his way through the thugs and try rescue the girl. 

Review

While this is technically an extra feature, I'm going to review it as a separate film. Kubrick made this as just 27 and it still stands the test of time; with more control and it being a smaller production, he constructed one of the most tense and interestingly shot noir films ever made. Capitalizing on strong performances and diving into the seedier themes of the film-noir world, he made possibly his most visually striking film of his early career. 

Featuring startlingly realistic fight scenes, chases and nail bitingly intense stunts (mainly involving a real harpoon and a real axe), this film is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Some expert lighting and cinematography make it all the more engaging. It runs at just over an hour and you feel the time go by, in a good way. It's a clear influence on the cinematography and fight choreography of Martin Scorsese's boxing masterpiece, Raging Bull.

I managed to see the DVD of this before and while the film itself was great, the transfer wasn't. It seemed like a slightly polished VHS transfer and it distorted the screen into 16:9 and looked garbage. This however was in its original 4:3 format and of almost crystal clear quality. The blacks were perfectly deep and there was no visual noise at all. 

I think this is one of the quintessential films for demonstrating what can be done with what for the time was pretty much the minimum. Another must see for film-noir fans.

Rating

The Killing: ★★★★½

Killer's Kiss: ★★★★

Audio & Picture: ★★★★★

Extras: ★★★½

Verdict: ★★★★½


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