The Killers 1946
7.7 / 10
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.
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.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 21 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... 'Swede' Andersen
... Kitty Collins
... Jim Reardon
... Big Jim Colfax
... Lt. Sam Lubinsky
... Charleston
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews29 Aug 2022 by CinemaSerf
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 beneficiary and piece together a story of robbery, betrayal and duplicity - to all of which the character of "Kitty" (Ava Gardner) proves central. This is a superior film noir, with Lancaster and O'Brien on great form as the flashbacks gradually fill in the gaps and with the help of "Lt. Lubinsky" (Sam Levene) they discovers what truly happened. Ava Gardner's character features quite sparingly, but potently when she is on screen - manipulating and twisting as she manoeuvres the men around her with consummate skill. The pace is measured, the story takes it's time to develop and that helps make this quite a compelling drama that puts a little more meat on the bones of the original Hemingway short story. The photography is intense, using the light and shade dramatically, and the score from the maestro Miklós Rósza adds a richness to the gritty look of the film too. Burt Lancaster's first major screen role, but it's O'Brien who does most of the heavy lifting here, and he does it well!
Producers:
Release Date:
Aug 30, 1946 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 43`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Killers
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 beneficiary and piece together a story of robbery, betrayal and duplicity - to all of which the character of "Kitty" (Ava Gardner) proves central. This is a superior film noir, with Lancaster and O'Brien on great form as the flashbacks gradually fill in the gaps and with the help of "Lt. Lubinsky" (Sam Levene) they discovers what truly happened. Ava Gardner's character features quite sparingly, but potently when she is on screen - manipulating and twisting as she manoeuvres the men around her with consummate skill. The pace is measured, the story takes it's time to develop and that helps make this quite a compelling drama that puts a little more meat on the bones of the original Hemingway short story. The photography is intense, using the light and shade dramatically, and the score from the maestro Miklós Rósza adds a richness to the gritty look of the film too. Burt Lancaster's first major screen role, but it's O'Brien who does most of the heavy lifting here, and he does it well!
Cast & Crew of
The Killers
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
... Assistant Director
Cast
... 'Swede' Andersen
... Kitty Collins
... Jim Reardon
... Big Jim Colfax
... Lt. Sam Lubinsky
... Charleston
... Lilly Harmon Lubinsky
... 'Dum-Dum' Clarke
... Packy Robinson - Ole's Manager
... R.S. Kenyon
... Al
... Max
... Blinky Franklin (uncredited)
... Restaurant Chef (uncredited)
... Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
... Brentwood Police Chief (uncredited)
... Farmer (uncredited)
... Mary Ellen 'Queenie' Daugherty (uncredited)
... Police Driver (uncredited)
WR
William Ruhl... Fran (uncredited)
Produced By
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
The Killers
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 21 )
Related Movies To
The Killers
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
0 /10
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Run Time: 1hr 50` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 May 2025
Director: Gary Hawes , Mackenzie McElligott , Timothy Paul Coderre
Producer: Samantha Camilleri , Anthony Tittanegro , Rino Pace
Stars: Melissa Barrera , Tony Todd , Anna Lore , Renata Vaca , Quintessa Swindell , Mary Elizabeth Winstead
First Shift (2024)
0 /10
NYPD veteran Mike and rookie Angela tackle a high-stakes day on New York's toughest streets, diving headfirst into a vortex of danger and action. Their adrenaline-fueled pursuits and unexpected threats unfold as they navigate perilous encounters. Amidst the chaos, intense challenges forge unbreakable bonds.
Run Time: 1hr 29` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Aug 2024
Director: Béla Baptiste , Phillip Rush , Uwe Boll
Producer: Judy Bowman , Hilary Greer , Michael Roesch
Stars: Kristen Renton , Gino Anthony Pesi , James McMenamin , Garry Pastore , Michael Emery , Willie C. Carpenter
28 Years Later (2025)
0 /10
Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Run Time: 1hr 55` . MMPA: R . Release: 18 Jun 2025
Director: Emily Perowne , Richard Styles , Sarah Mulberge
Producer: Bernie Bellew , Peter Rice , Andrew Macdonald
Stars: Cillian Murphy , Jodie Comer , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Charlie Hunnam , Jack O'Connell , Ralph Fiennes
Life After Fighting (2024)
0 /10
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.
Run Time: 2hr 6` . MMPA: . Release: 07 Jun 2024
Director: Bren Foster
Producer: Navid Bahadori , Chelsea Jean Foster , Bren Foster
Stars: Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Anthony Nassif , Arielle Jean Foster
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Nicholas Hiles , Kyler Griffin , Derrick Doose
Producer: Carole Wurst , Tyler Perry , Tony Strickland
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
The Amateur (2025)
0 /10
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
Run Time: 2hr 3` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Apr 2025
Director: Svetlana Punte , James Hawes
Producer: Martin Ware , Joel B. Michaels , Hutch Parker
Stars: Rami Malek , Rachel Brosnahan , Caitríona Balfe , Laurence Fishburne , Jon Bernthal , Holt McCallany
Diablo (2025)
0 /10
Ex-con Kris Chaney seizes the daughter of a Colombian gangster to fulfill a noble promise to the young girl's mother. When her father enlists both the criminal underworld and a psychotic killer to exact his revenge, Kris relies on everything he's ever learned to stay alive and keep his word.
Run Time: 1hr 31` . MMPA: R . Release: 13 Jun 2025
Director: Ernesto Díaz Espinoza
Producer: Matthew Helderman , Alvaro Gutierrez , Marko Zaror
Stars: Scott Adkins , Marko Zaror , María del Rosario , Lucho Velasco , Diana Hoyos , Alanna de la Rosa
Crypto Legacy (2020)
2.5 /10
Troy Morgan doesn't like his family's farm. The place creeps him out. After spotting some strange lights one evening, Troy and his little sister Carrie go to investigate the creepy barn.
Run Time: 1hr 11` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2020
Director: Charles Townsend
Producer: Charles Townsend
Stars: Sheri Gill Dixon , Brian Kunz , Brandon Young , Nathaniel Barton , Linzi Gray , Thalia Reynolds
Utopia (2024)
0 /10
A soldier searching for his missing wife breaks into a high-tech facility, believing she's been caught in a human trafficking ring. But beyond its walls, he finds a surreal, futuristic fantasy park where reality and illusion blur. As he navigates this seductive and dangerous world, a shocking truth pulls him deeper into a deadly game where nothing is as it seems.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: R . Release: 09 Dec 2024
Director: James Bamford
Producer: Steven Paul , Zuzana Martinková , Vladimir Karanikolov
Stars: Moe Dunford , Charlotte Vega , Michael D. Xavier , Daniel Bernhardt , Jason Flemyng , Wanda Banda
Remnant (2024)
0 /10
Grace is a young woman whose life has been turned upside down by tragedy. When she returns home to the family farm to rebuild her shattered life, her world begins to unravel as a series of strange events haunt her, pushing Grace to the edge of madness. A mysterious figure lurks in the shadows and a ghostly woman appears in the darkness of night. Is Grace imagining these apparitions, or are they a warning of a nightmare still to come?
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Jun 2024
Director: Mike Horan
Producer:
Stars: Nicole Pritchard , Shaun Robert Foley , Tsu Shan Chambers , Remi Webster , Megan Bell , Martin Ashley Jones
The Accountant² (2025)
0 /10
When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax, to help. In partnership with Marybeth Medina, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 23 Apr 2025
Director: Alina Gatti , Mariela Comitini , Fernando Chien
Producer: Kevin Halloran , Sasha Veneziano , Lynette Howell Taylor
Stars: Ben Affleck , Jon Bernthal , J.K. Simmons , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Daniella Pineda , Allison Robertson
Sinners (2025)
0 /10
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Run Time: 2hr 18` . MMPA: R . Release: 16 Apr 2025
Director: Gio Paredes-Utforskare , Steve Gehrke , Marvin Williams
Producer: Rebecca Choi , Anthony Tittanegro , Sev Ohanian
Stars: Michael B. Jordan , Jack O'Connell , Delroy Lindo , Jayme Lawson , Wunmi Mosaku , Hailee Steinfeld