Rent The Killers (1964)
3.6 of 5 from 85 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- So muses hitman Charlie (Lee Marvin) after his high-priced victim Johnny North (John Cassavetes) gives in without a fight. Obsessed with the answer, Charlie and his hot-headed associate Lee (Clu Gulager) track down Johnny's associates, and uncover a complex web of crime and deceit involving his femme fatale girlfriend Sheila (Angie Dickinson) and ruthless mob boss Jack Browning (Ronald Reagan in his last screen role).
- Actors:
- Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes, Clu Gulager, Claude Akins, Norman Fell, Ronald Reagan, Virginia Christine, Don Haggerty, Robert Phillips, Kathleen O'Malley, Ted Jacques, Irvin Mosley Jr., Jimmy Joyce, Davis Roberts
- Directors:
- Don Siegel
- Producers:
- Don Siegel
- Writers:
- Ernest Hemingway, Gene L. Coon
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- History of US Presidents in Cinema: Part 2, The Film Highlights of 1980, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Films By Year
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 24/02/2014
- Run Time:
- 95 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- High Definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures, presented in alternative "television" and "cinema" aspect ratios
- Reagan Kills: Interview with New York Times bestselling writer Marc Eliot, author of Ronald Reagan: The Hollywood Years
- Screen Killer: Interview with Dwayne Epstein, author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank
- Archive interview with Don Siegel from the French television series Cinema Cinemas
- Gallery of rare behind-the-scenes images
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Reviews (2) of The Killers
Ahead of its Time, Violent and Sexy - The Killers review by Dr Waerdnotte
From the get-go, Don Segal's version of the Hemingway story is brash, sexy and violent. Marvin and Gulager, as the no-nonsense contract killers, open the story by dispatching ex-racing driver Johnny North (Cassavetes) in a hit that pays them $25000. Marvin's character, Charlie Strom, ruminates on what makes the hit so lucrative, and he and his sidekick Lee, played by Gulager decide to investigate by paying Johnny North's race mechanic played by western stalwart, Claude Atkins, a visit.
From then on the story is told in flashback. Enter, the incredibly sexy Angie Dickenson, as the dame who who wants North but is owned by Ronald Reagan's character, mob boss Jack Browning - using North as their driver, this is the gang (Dickenson, Reagan, and Norman Fell) that robs a mail van for a million. After a lot of double crossing Strom gets to Jack Browning and the money, only to be taken out himself.
The movie is brilliantly paced. The dialogue is spot on, and the acting first rate - Marvin, Gulager, Dickenson, Cassavetes, Reagan, Fell and Atkins are a brilliant ensemble cast. The cinematography is perfect, using bright primary colours, and inventive camera shots. Siegel's direction is solid without being too flashy, making the most of the limited budget.
The movie is way ahead of its time - you can see hints of Pulp Fiction in the characters of the two hitmen and the overall style of the movie. Whilst the story may not be particularly different from many other noirish movies, the way Siegel has put it together creates a modernist crime caper, with a seething undercurrent of sex and violence.
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Excellent film - The Killers review by db
Everything that the other reviewer said. I have watched this film many times. Wonderfully paced, casting perfect.
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