70 Years Later, This 96%-Rated Stanley Kubrick Gem Is Still One of the Best Heist Movies Ever Made
Kubrick took a typical noir plot and transformed it into a cynical thriller that shows how even the best-laid plans can be thwarted by human stupidity.
Stanley Kubrick is best known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. But long before these epic films, the future maestro made a movie that he considered to be his professional debut.
The Killing, a black-and-white noir thriller about a racetrack heist, was released in 1956 and even 70 years later, it feels fresher than many modern blockbusters.
Not only did it set the standards for the heist genre, it also became the direct inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.
What Is 'The Killing' About?
_42348.webp)
Hardened criminal Johnny Clay has just been released from prison, where he has spent years planning the heist of a lifetime. He has set his sights on a racetrack, where millions of dollars are wagered in a single day. If all goes to plan, he and his crew could walk away with $2 million.
To execute his meticulous plan, Clay recruits four people: a racetrack cashier, a corrupt police officer, a recovering alcoholic and a bartender.
However, during the heist, one of his accomplices decides to deviate from the plan, causing the carefully crafted scheme to crumble like a house of cards.
'The Killing' Was a Groundbreaking Work for Its Time
The main innovation in The Killing does not lie in the plot itself, but in the way Kubrick tells it – the director breaks with the traditional linear narrative structure, offering viewers a confluence of timelines.
While this technique seems familiar today, in 1956 it was radical. Rather than presenting events in a consistent order, Kubrick shows the robbery from multiple perspectives, repeatedly going back in time to reveal what was happening at the same moment to a different participant.
Kubrick enhances the classic noir narrative of being surrounded by cynics and not trusting anyone by using a flexible plot structure.
'The Killing' Is Anything but a Typical Heist Crime Movie
The Killing lacks the complex plot typical of modern crime dramas, and noir tropes such as the femme fatale fade into the background. Instead, the dry logistics of the heist and the professionalism of the individuals take centre stage.
Kubrick meticulously depicts the preparations: who is shadowing whom, what each person is doing, which escape routes are being used, and how actions are being synchronised so that everything goes perfectly.
The effect is all the more devastating when this well-oiled mechanism malfunctions due to one small error.
This is a signature Kubrick motif that the director would develop throughout his career: a carefully planned action failing due to human error and a confluence of circumstances.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Killing'?
-
The Killing has 96% from critics and 92% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
-
On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.9/10.
-
On Letterboxd, The Killing scored 4.0/5.0.
Where to Watch 'The Killing'?
The Killing is available to stream on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Kanopy.
