Killer’s Kiss
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Written by Stanley Kubrick
1955/USA
Minotaur Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Gloria Price: It’s a mistake to confuse pity with love.[/box]
Stanley Kubrick’s second feature is strong on visuals but weak on plot and dialogue.
Davey Gordon is a boxer who has just lost his last chance at the championship. He has decided to return to his uncle’s horse farm near Seattle. One night before he leaves, he hears a woman, Gloria, screaming in the apartment across the way. He rescues her from a much older man’s unwanted advances. The man, Vincent Rapallo, is the boss of the dime-a-dance joint where Gloria works.
Davey and Gloria hit it off and she plans to accompany him back to Seattle. Vincent refuses to give up his pursuit, however.
This movie seems padded with filler at only 67 minutes. It contains some of the corniest dialogue I’ve heard in awhile as well. (The conversation between Davey and his uncle is priceless). The acting is no great shakes. The whole suffers from the post-production dubbing of the entire sound track. The leading lady is not even voiced by the same actress. Despite all this, you can clearly see a master craftsman in the making. Some of the images are stunning and the staging of the action sequences is innovative.
Trailer
