The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)

The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Rating: 9.5

This film with all of it's violence and sexuality (see Coleen Gray as Fay) was far ahead of it's time. It tracks the progress of a masterfully conceived and executed horse track robbery by seven men (think Ocean's Eleven). The only complaint I have about the film is the voice over narration throughout. I think this could have been done without by either extending the film a bit as it only ran at 83 minutes or perhaps by first person narrations from each character as it tracked their role in the heist. The plot itself is thoroughly engaging. The direction and musical score were both great, as can be expected in a Kubrick film. I also really enjoyed the variety of performances, from the leading role of Johnny Clay brilliantly played by Sterling Hayden, all the way down to the minor roles of Kola Kwariani (former pro wrestler) as Maurice who is part of a fantastically choreographed fight scene. One of my favorite scenes involves pioneering African American actor James Edwards working as a parking guard and Timothy Carey as Nikki. It's a bittersweet moment as Nikki bribes the guard into letting him into the closed parking lot so he can get into position for his role in the heist. After a polite conversation between the two, Edwards offers Nikki a horseshoe for good luck for treating him so kindly, seeing as the 1950s was a time of racial tension. Nikki realizes he has to get the guard to leave him alone as time fast approaches for him to do his job, so his solution is to use a racial slur. The sequence of events and scenes that transpire during the last 15 minutes of the film are truly unforgettable, as is the final line of dialogue, "What does it matter."