On K List of Movie Reviews

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Killer's Kiss (1955)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 5/11, 4/22

KKiss
5/11: Despite clocking at 67 minutes, Killer's Kiss feels lengthy.

Stanley Kubrick takes too much time by focusing on the aesthetic details while forgetting about the plot. He throws all kinds of film noir elements on the wall, but not much sticks. As a result, Killer's Kiss comes off as somewhat tacky. The premise is silly, and there are also leaps in logic. In the movie poster, nobody resembles the actual thespians.

Before the major fight, Davey Gordon reads a note that he probably has done ten times already. By the time he gets to the arena, he doesn't make an effort to be serious about the match. Then, he loses the fight in an embarrassing way. If I'm Davey, I'll want to hide in shame for a long period of time, but he takes it well as if nothing has happened. Worse, his face looks perfect: no bruises or swelling.

Of course, Davey decides to get together with the woman who happens to have a window next to his, and he falls in love with her in two days. All of that is done without a trace of chemistry. Perhaps Davey may be suffering from internal bleeding around the brain region? Either that, or he's mentally incompetent to begin with. The ending is silly after she confessed to wanting to be with the other guy. Maybe they're stupid and therefore deserve each other.

All in all, Killer's Kiss, although made for an impressive sum of $75,000, is a good stepping stone for Stanley Kubrick.

4/22: The style is there for Killer's Kiss, but it's a bit hokey movie.

Not much happens for a long time; therefore, Stanley Kubrick mostly focuses on the cinematography, especially the exteriors, which is great and not so clinical.

Jamie Smith tries but is no Burt Lancaster. At least, he gets things moving by staying with the noir tone. Irene Kane, or rather Chris Chase, is way worse, and her character is just a two-bit blonde tramp. I wasn't rooting for them to be together at the end. Newcomer Kubrick wasn't originally thinking of this but got a deal that he couldn't refuse: $100,000 budget for the next film The Killing.

All in all, Killer's Kiss is an above-average film noir, and talent is evident in Stanley Kubrick.