"You have not yet learned that in this life you have to be like everyone else, the perfect mediocrity; no better, no worse. Individuality's a monster and it must be strangled in its cradle to make our friends feel confident. You know, I've often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They are admired and hero-worshipped, but there is always present underlying wish to see them destroyed at the peak of their glory."
The Killing is a fascinating film, not so much because of what it accomplishes on its own, but because of what it represents in the broader arc of Stanley Kubrick’s career. Watching it today, it’s intriguing to see a young Kubrick working within the constraints of a low-budget noir, before he had developed any of the signature trademarks that would come to define his later masterpieces. There’s no meticulously controlled mise-en-scène, no icy emotional detachment, no surrealism, and none of the sweeping, innovative camerawork that would later become hallmarks of his style. Instead, we get a tight, somewhat gritty crime thriller that’s more conventional than you’d expect from a name as towering as Kubrick.
That said, for a film that runs just 85 minutes, The Killing still manages to feel sluggish in several spots. Its nonlinear structure is innovative for its time, but the tension doesn’t always hold together, there are long patches where the momentum dips, and some scenes feel padded or overly reliant on narration. You can sense Kubrick experimenting with structure and tone, but the pacing doesn't always serve the story as effectively as it could have.
Despite its flaws, The Killing is still a solid film, bolstered by strong performances and a great sense of atmosphere. Sterling Hayden brings a rough-edged intensity to his role, and there are glimpses here and there of Kubrick’s emerging skill as a visual storyteller. It’s certainly not on the level of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, or Dr. Strangelove, but it’s also far from a failure.
In fact, the most telling thing about The Killing is this: it’s clearly the worst Kubrick film I’ve seen, and yet I still think it deserves 3.5 stars. That says more about Kubrick’s overall talent and consistency than it does about the film itself. Even when he’s still figuring things out, he’s interesting to watch. It may not be essential viewing unless you’re a completionist or a noir enthusiast, but it’s definitely an intriguing piece of cinematic history.
(I've also just realised that I unironically wrote about mise-en-scène, I'm such a twat.)
Stanley Kubrick Ranked
