The Killing
The Killing is a 1956 American film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick and produced by James B. Harris. It was written by Kubrick and Jim Thompson and based on Lionel White's novel Clean Break. It stars Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, and Vince Edwards, and features Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Jay C. Flippen and Timothy Carey.
Plot
Johnny Clay is a veteran criminal planning one last heist before settling down and marrying Fay. He plans to steal $2 million from the money-counting room of a racetrack during a featured race. Johnny assembles a team consisting of a corrupt cop, a betting window teller to gain access to the backroom, a sharpshooter to shoot the favorite horse during the race to distract the crowd and keep the winnings from being paid out, a wrestler to provide another distraction by provoking a fight at the track bar, and a track bartender.
More details
| author | Jim Thompson Lionel White Stanley Kubrick |
|---|---|
| director | Stanley Kubrick |
| editor | Betty Steinberg |
| genre | crime thriller |
| keywords | bet conspirator corrupt cop kill learn married plan provoking a fight security guard sharpshooter sweep away win wound |
| musicBy | Gerald Fried |
| producer | James B. Harris |
| productionCompany | Harris-Kubrick Pictures Corporation |
| publisher | United Artists |
| theme | film noir heist narrative |