★ 6 / 10
Classy, Feverish, a Mess? The second feature film
John Chard
Classy, Feverish, a Mess? The second feature film directed by future critical darling Stanley Kubrick, Killer's Kiss isn't a particularly good film. With its…
Classy, Feverish, a Mess?
The second feature film directed by future critical darling Stanley Kubrick, Killer's Kiss isn't a particularly good film. With its very basic "B" film noir plot, choppy editing, post-dubbing and "interesting" acting from the unknown cast, the film should really be a chore to get through. However, it represents a worthwhile investment of our time for two main reasons. One is of course to witness the early work of a most revered and talented director. The other is because of some indelible images that exist within the piece, images crafted around authentic New York locations.
The plot revolves around Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a 29 year old New York boxer at the end of his career, and his relationship with a dancer and her violent employer. Love, violence and revenge all crammed into one sweaty New York weekend. Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay with Howard Sackler, he also edited, co-produced and photographed the picture himself. All financed by cash generated from friends and family of the novice director.
While there is nothing to write home about in the writing, certainly there is no hint of the creative writing flair Kubrick would show later in his career, it's with the visuals - and to a lesser extent - the sound work, that this shows that the powerful director was quick out of the traps. The whole film comes across as some feverish fairy-tale, one which at frequent moments shifts to some sort of surrealistic nightmare. The effects are aided by the use of negative film stock and the tilting blend of opposing character scenes. Sexual aggression segues with a brutal boxing match, and a ballerina dancing sequence takes one away from the hustle and bustle of the loud streets. Streets where bizarre fez wearing musicians prance about gaily and where shadowy figures follow men down alleyways to enact a brutal crime. All distorting, memorable stuff, capped off by an axe fight in a mannequin factory, the dismembered parts used not only a weapons, but also as a point of reference to the weird thematics laid down by Kubrick.
With stark black and white imagery augmented by the harsh music, and Kubrick dallying with close ups and low angle camera shots, Killer's Kiss is never less than engrossing from a technical viewpoint. Think of it like that weird dream you had when you had taken too much cough syrup that one time, and you will then be half way there... 6/10
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★ 8 / 10
Every Shot Is Remarkable
evanston_dad
In introducing "Killer's Kiss" on TCM, host Eddie Muller apologized all over himself for what a ragged, experimental film it was from newbie director Stanley…
In introducing "Killer's Kiss" on TCM, host Eddie Muller apologized all over himself for what a ragged, experimental film it was from newbie director Stanley Kubrick. But the thing is, as Muller himself pointed out, inexperienced Kubrick is still better than the best film of any number of other directors, so this one's a treat.
It's ragged to be sure, and it's clear that Kubrick had the outlines of a film that he then padded out to feature length proportions, but there's hardly a shot in the the thing that isn't remarkable in some way. It's my favorite kind of noir -- dripping in atmosphere, plot incidental (though there are some clever developments in the story), tough guy meter set to 11. There's a somewhat famous climactic fight scene set in a mannequin factory that's clearly used for its weirdness only, and the whole film is like that.
Many shots from this movie are used in TCM's intro montage to their late-night programming.
Grade: A-
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★ 7 / 10
Claustrophobic & Visually Impressive
seymourblack-1
Stanley Kubrick was the director, cinematographer, editor, co-producer and co-writer of his second movie and commendably, despite his lack of experience and an…
Stanley Kubrick was the director, cinematographer, editor, co-producer and co-writer of his second movie and commendably, despite his lack of experience and an obviously low budget, "Killer's Kiss" proved to be an extremely enjoyable and visually impressive film noir drama.
Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) is a washed up boxer who meets and falls in love with a dance-hall hostess called Gloria Price (Irene Kane) and together they plan to relocate to Seattle. Unfortunately, Gloria's violent employer Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera) has designs on her and dispatches two of his henchmen to deal with Davey. However, due to a couple of unexpected coincidences, the plan goes wrong, the two men kill Davey's manager and the police suspect that Davey is the murderer. In order to prove his innocence, Davey pursues Rapallo and this eventually leads to a final confrontation between the two men when they engage in a spectacular and well choreographed fight for supremacy.
Throughout the story the action takes place in locations which seem claustrophobic and often the framing of the shots emphasises this impression. Davey and Gloria's living areas and Rapallo's office are all small. Camera positions which look down on the characters when they're on the stairs in the couple's tenement building and in the dance-hall entrance area also appear to significantly constrict the space they occupy. During a boxing match in which the two boxers are already confined within the ring, when Davey's opponent stands up to start the bout, he is seen from a low viewpoint behind the still seated Davey, with the result that the space which he visually inhabits is made even smaller as he is then seen framed by Davey's right leg. Even the outdoor sequences in the latter part of the film convey the same impression as narrow streets and alleyways surrounded by very high buildings seem to close in on everyone who enters those areas.
Some good ideas are also used to make the film visually interesting. Davey's face is seen peering through the water in a fishbowl and the viewpoint is the position of the wall behind the bowl.. Similarly, when Rapallo throws a tumbler at a picture on the wall of his office, the glass is seen shattering from the viewpoint of the picture. A dream sequence is photographed in negative and the final confrontation between Davey and Rapallo is staged in a warehouse full of mannequins in a sequence which is rather reminiscent of the "hall of mirrors sequence" in "The Lady From Shanghai". There is also a brilliantly composed shot of the streets down which Davey is being pursued by Rapallo and his men where the lit area of the street and buildings is reduced to a limited area on the bottom left hand side of the frame with everywhere else being bathed in black shadow. Rapallo's thugs are also shown in silhouette when they attack Davey's manager and their elongated shadows on the walls of the alley seem to exaggerate the sense of danger involved.
The night time street scenes shot in Times Square are particularly good and the other New York locations are also portrayed in a manner which powerfully conveys their squalor and potentially threatening atmosphere.
"Killer's Kiss" is rather short and contains some dead pan performances but its real strength lies in its incredible visual impact and its ability to evoke threatening and oppressive atmospheres so successfully.
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6.5/10
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•••
An excellent film.