Stanley Kubrick Double BiIl - The Killing and Killer's Kiss

Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors of all time. I was very pumped to sit down with one of his older numbers, The Killing. I was even more pumped to find my Criterion blu-ray also has a bonus copy of Killer's Kiss included in the supplements...NICE!!!

The Killing
(1956) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick (IMDB)

This movie is extremely cool. It's rad to think it came out in the 50's. You may be familiar with Kubrick's later releases like "2001: A Space Odyssey.", "A Clockwork Orange", or "The Shining" but this movie is as equally as impressive.

It's about a group of men who plot to rob a racetrack. The heist is one of the biggest ever and requires a lot of planning. One of the robbers runs his stupid mouth to his ungrateful wife. She's banging some other guy. Her booty call talks the info out of her and decides he wants in on the action. The plan goes off but not without a hitch.

This movie looks so good. The use of heavy dark tones and shadows give a really classic film-noir look. I could see the likes of Tarantino or the Coen Brothers directly being influenced by this. Also, the acting is great, especially Sterling Hayden as Johnny. There's tons of twists and turns, and like any good noir, keeps you guessing what will happen next. This movie is a real good time and a fun watch. Definitely highly recommended, and Criterion don't play on the transfer to blu-ray.



Killer's Kiss
(1955) [Trailer]
Director: Stanley Kubrick (IMDB)

I wasn't expecting to watch this but as I sifted through the extras of The Killing I found it. I went ahead and took full advantage of it and decided to roll with the punches, literally.

The movie is about a fighter who falls for the wrong girl. She's a dancer and her boss, a gangster, is in love with her. The fighter decides to quit boxing and move to Seattle. When the boss finds out that she wants to leave to Starbucks City with the fighter, he flips. From there the movie gets wild and you'll just have to see who ends up with the girl.

Again, Kubrick's direction is next level, especially for the 50's. The look of this movie is great. Simply great. The film is so gritty and the way he shoots NYC is captivating. The use again of dark shadows and tones makes for a very unsettling feeling throughout. Plus, the ending scene in the mannequin warehouse is bad ass. The action is almost psychotic, especially with that back drop of the creepy mannequins. I loved this flick, for an hour running time it packs a hell of a punch (no pun intended.)