The Killers
Directed by Don Siegel
Written by Gene L. Coon from a story by Ernest Hemingway
1964/USA
Revue Studios
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Charlie Strom: You see, the only man that’s not afraid to die is the man that’s dead already.[/box]
This remake is not bad but had me longing for the 1946 version.
Hit men Charlie (Lee Marvin) and Lee (Clu Gulager) arrive at a school for the blind to assassinate Johnny North (John Cassavetes), who is teaching there. He puts up no resistance. This intrigues Charlie and when he learns that there is also a missing $1 million involved the two investigate both the location of the money and the identity of the man who hired them.
The trail leads to flash backs of an elaborate series of double crosses involving crime boss Jack Browing (Ronald Reagan) and femme fatale Shiela Farr (Angie Dickinson).
I think the choice to eliminate the insurance adjuster angle in the 1946 film was pretty inspired. Marvin’s intensity makes this version work. On the other hand, Dickinson’s inherent perkiness had me longing for the infinitely more fatal Ava Gardner. Reagan, in his final screen performance, makes a good villain by playing it straight.
