Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

cricketbat The Killing is one of Stanley Kubrick's best films. It was made before he got a big ego. The writing is excellent and the performances are memorable. If you like heist movies or film noir, this is one you should definitely check out.

Movie_Muse_Reviews Stanley Kubrick's first major feature film, "The Killing," stands apart from the rest of his catalogue, if for no other reason than its length. A straight shot noir heist thriller, at 82 minutes long it's quite the opposite of what he became known for, multi-hour epics in multiple parts. If shown without credits, you might not guess one of cinema's greatest directors was behind it, but some clues are there.If we're being really honest, "The Killing" has probably been elevated in stature because it's a Kubrick film. Aside from the nonlinear structure, which was certainly innovative in the '50s to be sure, it's a rather crude and uncomplicated story that goes for gut-punch finale that isn't hard to see coming. Only a few moments are truly surprising – at least Kubrick is there to maximize their effect."The Killing" features a group of down-on-their-luck criminals and nobodies who scheme to put a big hit on a horseracing track. Most of the men remain fairly enigmatic, even lead man Sterling Hayden's Johnny Clay. The only one of them we really get to know is George (Elisha Cook Jr.), a nebbishy track employee with a beautiful wife (Marie Windsor) who despises and belittles him – not to mention she's in love with another man and conspiring to hijack the operation.The rest of the film is the planning and execution of the heist, which we are neither completely privy too nor completely unaware of, making the whole thing both mysterious and exciting at some turns and uneventful at others. The screenplay's staggered structure showing all the different pieces put in place to pull off the heist gives it enough of an edge in the sense that we're waiting to see if something went/goes wrong. Our investment in the outcome, however, is a little tempered by not knowing a whole lot about the characters, who with the exception of George seem to have no motivation or stake in their success other than money. When the film ends, it's unclear whether the outcome feels fulfilling or sad.Kubrick's signatures are not as abundant as someone familiar with his most acclaimed works would hope for. There are a couple nice tracking shots and moments of suspense, but nothing as involved as films like "The Shining" or "2001: A Space Odyssey." There are also a few really good close-ups of faces and one effective shock-you moment in the final stretch. Other than some juicy noir lighting, that pretty much sums up the film's artistic achievements."The Killing" just feels like its missing a compelling hook. The storytelling is creative and interesting, Jim Thompson's dialogue impressively sharp and Kubrick provides a handful of noteworthy flourishes; it's the resonance that his best films have always had that's missing here (aside from the George-Sherry subplot, which is easily the film's most compelling element). The culprit? Probably that Kubrick was not playing auteur on this film to the same degree that he did on the rest of his canon. Or maybe it's the annoying narration. Either way, "The Killing" is a solid heist thriller, just nowhere near Kubrick's many masterpieces.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Ian (Flash Review)This didn't do much for me, sadly, even with an 8.0/10 IMDb rating, which I'd guess is partly because of who the director is. That was the impetus for me to give it a go. The plot revolves around a horse racetrack heist and of course within Noir there is double crossing. Apparently, this is sequenced non-linearly which really confuses the story; not executed effectively. There are some typical Noir scenes that are so stereotypical and overacted that is becomes comical. And by 1956, many Noir traits have been defined. Nothing more to comment on aside being thankful that Kubrick learned from this to make some stellar films!

Dario Vaccaro "The Killing" is the first film by Stanley Kubrick that was financed entirely by others believing in his talent, and we could not hope for more. The film is thrilling and follows the classic Hollywood gangster story, but with the touch of the genius: as always in his pictures, the characters are watched from a distance, a sneer that knows their efforts to make things go their way is useless, as the world works in mysterious ways, such that a series of small accidents can destroy the "perfectly" planned robbery. As usual nobody gets what they wanted in a Kubrick film. The time labyrinth through which the viewer is introduced to the events is also a feature that will come back in an even more complex way in the author's mature works.A fantastic noir/gangster movie, filled with Kubrick themes.