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The Killers

1946 1h 43m
Crime Mystery Thriller
MOVIEVIBE Rating
7.4/10
445 reviews
Your Rating
The Killers

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.

"She's a match for any mobster!"

Top Billed Cast

Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien
Jim Reardon
Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
'Swede' Andersen
Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner
Kitty Collins
Albert Dekker
Albert Dekker
Big Jim Colfax
Sam Levene
Sam Levene
Lt. Sam Lubinsky
Vince Barnett
Vince Barnett
Charleston
Virginia Christine
Virginia Christine
Lilly Harmon Lubinsky
Jack Lambert
Jack Lambert
'Dum-Dum' Clarke

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2022-08-29

When two hit men arrive in the diner of a small town, they announce their intention to the owner of killing one of his customers - former boxer "the Swede" (Burt Lancaster). He manages to convince them that he would not be coming in that night, and so they leave to track him down. His friend, who was tied up in the diner rushes to warn him, but he does nothing - he invites the fate that we see, right from the beginning of the film. Why though? Why didn't he run? It transpires that he had a modest life insurance policy and so investigator "Reardon" (Edmond O'Brien) tries to track down the benef...

G griggs79 Verified TMDB Critic
2024-11-14

Robert Siodmak’s _The Killers_ intrigues more than it excites. Each scene is steeped in a rich atmosphere, with tension simmering under the surface. Siodmak’s non-linear storytelling leads you through a maze of betrayal and mystery, making it a slow-burn puzzle rather than a thrill ride. It’s a film that keeps you engaged with its moody shadows and complex web of lies, even if it didn’t thoroughly sweep me off my feet....