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The Killers (1964)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
3/09, 6/11
3/09:
I like the 1946 version of The Killers, and after seeing the remake, there are parts
that are worthwhile but not the whole movie.
To force me to stay interested, I've been fed by Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and the story.
She reminds me of Ellen Barkin and gives probably the best performance of anyone. But Lee Marvin is terrific, too,
and should've gone solo with more screen time.
That being said, Clu Gulager is annoying, but it's too late by the time his character is assassinated. When Lee Marvin
attempted to throw Angie out of the window, he should've done that to his partner instead. At least, Lee Marvin makes
the best out of it and has a classic death scene.
Miscast for the role and just a plain terrible actor overall, Ronald Reagan is wooden. It's thankfully the last
acting performance of his career. John Cassavetes is also unconvincing as Johnny North. Both have caused the film
to fall apart. If Don Siegel wanted to strike gold, he should've gotten Steve McQueen instead of John Cassavetes. True,
he would've taken attention away from Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson, but these two did hold their own, enough to
create a possible balanced triumvirate.
The remake has vibrant colors, letting the cinematography do the job. Moreover, the story is good and makes sense
although it took me a while to put two and two together. There's a certain aerial shot that looks like a rip-off from the
opening scene of Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night.
All in all, The Killers pales in comparison to the 1946 original but can be a lot better with the right cast.
6/11:
Okay, I've decided The Killers is a decent remake.
The colors are great, and, more importantly, Lee Marvin's presence is what makes the film fun. It's too bad
he's granted little screen time to flex his stuff. The annoying sidekick of his should've died much sooner.
As babe as she gets, Angie Dickinson plays the femme fatale better than Ava Gardner.
Meanwhile, I still can't get over looking at Ronald "Help! Help! My Face Is Paralyzed" Reagan. How that joker got into
Hollywood is something I'll never understand. At any rate, the story is compelling enough to watch the film,
and I love the ending. Of course, all great actors must have a classic death scene, and Lee Marvin has his own in a big way.
One negative I must point out in regard to the plan occurs in the middle when the mail truck took a detour. I was
thinking, "Why not have two sets of people: one for the traffic and cleanup while the other, consisting of John Cassavetes'
and Ronald Reagan's characters, sits in the car while waiting for the truck instead of wasting time doing all of the
unnecessary work?" Anyway, there's a clear rip-off of the aerial scene from
They Live by Night that was directed by Nicholas Ray.
All in all, the remake of The Killers works well.