Weekend Viewing: The Killers

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—01. Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins.

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Originating from a short story by Ernest Hemingway, The Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, is the quintessential noir. It features Burt Lancaster in his first movie role as a washed-up prizefighter who is murdered for his involvement in a robbery. Starting at the end, the story reveals the events in a very creative way, with uncredited co-writing from John Huston and Richard Brooks – acknowledged masters of the era.

—Available from Criterion