For those, and I was one, who thought that Quentin Tarantino invented the out of sequence thrilla genre, I submit for your approval the 1964 Don Siegel flick The Killers. Starring Lee Marvin and Clu Gullager as a pair of ruthless hitmen, The Killers is credited with no less than Ernest Hemingway as the writer. Now, my remembrance of The Killers from high school English literature was a little different than what this movie turned out to be. I would say that the movie is loosely based, and I mean loosely on the Hemingway short story. In fact, I think maybe the biggest thing they share is the title.

Be that as it may, The Killers is an action lover's treat from the king of action directors, Don Siegel. Siegel brought us such classics as Hell is for Heroes, Dirty Harry, and The Shootist (John Wayne's final film).

From the opening credits, accompanied by a pulsating jazz score by Henry Mancini, you just know this film is going to be something special, and it does not disappoint.

Lee Marvin is among the most hard-boiled action heroes I have ever had the pleasure to view, and I've seen quite a few. Directors John Woo and Quentin Tarantino and latter-day tough-guy actors like Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, and all the rest should watch The Killers for a master class in Tough-Guy 101. Cheatsheet note: Even back in the day, there were very few that could hold a candle to Lee Marvin as a real cool and stylish tough-guy.

The story concerns two hit men who fulfill a contract right at the beginning of the movie. The mark does not run but stands there and takes it without flinching. Lee is no dummy, he knows you don't earn $25,000 for such an easy hit unless there is plenty more where that came from. So he and his partner go looking for the anonymous person who hired them to do the hit. The rest of the film is largely comprised of flashbacks, as the characters explain what happened as Lee and Clu catch up with them.

The supporting cast is top quality, including the dazzling Angie Dickinson, Claude Akins, John Cassavetes, Norman Fell, and president-to-be Ronald Reagan as the real bad guy. Reagan does a convincing job as a baddie. Actress Angie Dickinson has more sex appeal in her little finger than the current crop of Hollywood bimbos put together, by the way.

The Killers is film noir, that is there are no good guys, only bad guys. You have to decide which of the bad guys to root for. I chose to root for Lee Marvin.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening