THE KILLERS
US, 1964, 93 minutes, Colour.
Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes, Clu Gulager, Claude Akins, Norman Fell, Ronald Reagan, Virginia Christine.
Directed by Don Siegel.
The Killers, or Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers, is an updating and remake of the 1946 classic of the same name, directed by Robert Siodmak. The 40s film starred Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner.
This film features Lee Marvin at the height of his popularity, a year before he won the Oscar for his comic role in Cat Ballou. Angie Dickinson was also a major star in the 1960s. The focus is on John Cassavetes, a writer-director of very serious films, Shadows, Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Woman Under the Influence, who appeared in many films like Rosemary’s Baby to finance his own films. This was the last film made by Ronald Reagan and he appears as a villain.
The film was directed by Don Siegel who had emerged during the 1950s and 1960s as a director of tough and brief films. He was to make greater impact in the late 60s and during the 70s, especially with his films with Clint Eastwood which include Coogan’s Bluff, Two Mules for Sister Sarah, The Beguiled and, of course, Dirty Harry.
The film is a film noir story, loosely based on an Ernest Hemingway short story about criminals and corruption. It is set in a world of racing cars and the central characters are hitmen.
1. Who were the killers of the title? Or the principal characters? Principally Charlie and Lee? Why the emphasis on the 'killers' in the title?
2. How brutal a film was this? Was it too brutal? How successful a robbery film was it? How successful a picture of U.S. style of crime and violence?
3. Why was Charlie fascinated by the motive of Johnny North being killed? How important was this for the title and themes of the film?
4. How successful was the flashback? How did the audience identify with Charlie in his working out of Johnny North’s motivation? Did this have a cumulative effect for going for the truth? As well as narrating the story in chronological order?
5. What were your first impressions of Johnny North? His work in the school with the blind? That he had been working for several years? How did your attitude change as you learnt the truth about him?
6. How important was Carl for the plot of the film? What kind of person was he? His admiration for Johnny?. Iris being made drunk by the killers? His enthusiasm for working with Johnny and his hatred of Sheila?
7. How effective were the driving sequences of the film? Were they exciting in themselves? How well did they relate to the plot? Their importance for the robbery sequences? Johnny as a driver and his love of driving?
8. Was the relationship between John and Sheila well established? How? Johnny and his preoccupation with driving and his response to Sheila? Sheila as a hardened actress? her ability to turn on her emotions at will? The fierce irony of her affection for Johnny and the truth? How ugly was this picture of Sheila as evil?
9. Was the interview with Sheila with Micky too conventional? Their terrorizing of him?
10. How effective were the sequences of the plan of the robbery and its being carried out? The American use of cars and speed, the subjective eye of the care speeding? The efficiency of the robbery?.
11. What was your reaction to Browning? How evil a man was he? Did you believe Sheila at any stage about him? Comment on the change in Browning when Charlie met him? Charlie’s ability to terrorise Sheila? did she tell the truth?
12. How ugly was the truth? The sequence in which Johnny was led by Sheila and then brutally revealed the truth? What affect did this have on him? Did this explain why he was shot?
13. By this stage, did you understand Charlie and Lee? What fascinated Charles about the truth? Did he learn anything? Was it merely curiosity and was he really after the money? How obtuse a character was Lee? Did he have my redeeming features?
14. The dramatic irony of everyone being shot? The ugliness of Sheila’s plan even as she was killed?
15. How was futility of crime one of the themes of the film? What insight into human nature and evil and greed did the film give?
