Overview
A gripping tale of betrayal and intrigue unfolds in a quiet town, where danger lurks beneath the surface.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- paranoid
- sardonic
- classic cinema night
- noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film's atmospheric noir direction, strong performances, tension, and visual craftsmanship, while some fault its screenplay and measured pace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Swede waits passively for the killers, while Reardon's investigation reconstructs a life trapped by betrayal and criminal consequences.
Reardon follows multiple accounts of the Swede's life, gradually linking the murder to earlier criminal events.
Siodmak sustains the noir atmosphere through black-and-white imagery and lighting that casts the postwar world into deep shadow.
Kitty Collins's sultry allure is directly tied to the Swede's ruin and the film's larger chain of treachery.
Films like The Killers, and why
Double Indemnity
shared film noir fatalism, femme fatale, betrayal, and shadowy crime investigation
The Big Sleep
shared non-linear crime mystery, doomed protagonist, and intricate web of treachery
Out of the Past
shared postwar noir atmosphere, criminal underworld, and morally compromised characters
The Asphalt Jungle
shared fatalistic noir structure, robbery plot, and doomed criminal protagonist
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Siodmak
- Release Date
- 1946-08-30
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (449)
Cast
- Edmond O'Brien
- Burt Lancaster
- Ava Gardner
- Albert Dekker
- Sam Levene
- Vince Barnett
- Virginia Christine
- Jack Lambert
- Charles D. Brown
- Donald MacBride
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Killers about?
- A fatalistic film noir follows an insurance investigator through a maze of murder, betrayal, and the femme fatale who helped destroy a former boxer.
- What is The Killers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Killers as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Killers violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Killers as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Killers?
- Critics broadly praise the film's atmospheric noir direction, strong performances, tension, and visual craftsmanship, while some fault its screenplay and measured pace.
- Which films are like The Killers?
- Films with a similar feel include Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, and The Asphalt Jungle.
- How long is The Killers?
- The Killers runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Killers?
- In United States, The Killers is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
