Some of you might have noticed that The Great Train Robbery was supposed to be at this point. However, I could not get my hands on a copy. Therefore, I switched it out for this film, which just so happens to be the fifth addition of a Kubrick film on this list (though the fourth watched for it). And considering how I've felt about most Kubrick on the whole thus far, this was definitely more for completionist purposes. That being said...
The Killing is one of the man's lesser talked about films, made in 1956. It's a noir film about a group of men who plan on pulling off a heist at a horse racetrack. But one of their wives gets word of it and, due to her intense greed and selfishness, really bungles things up. I didn't put the characters or actors here, because I honestly couldn't tell you who was who.
There were one or two things I liked about the movie. The interactions between the dorky man and his wife had some great dialogue, and that woman was just flat-out repulsive as a human being. That made her interesting to watch. The heist itself is OK. I do like how it shows one perspective, then rewinds and shows the other half of it. And the film has a pretty good ending.
However, this movie really annoyed me for multiple reasons. The acting is truly, to the core, some of that "old time" acting that I really don't care for. And those are the ones who attempted to act. Some were flat-out stale. Others were so bizarre I wasn't sure what to make of them. The dorky guy in particular was boggling. I'm surprised he didn't cry out "Garbage Day!" at the end. And then you have the voice-over narration. Oh my God, that was painful. I don't think any of it was necessary, and it makes you feel dumber for apparently needing every little thing explained to you. Not to mention the voice-over itself makes the tone of the film more cheesy than anything.
But on the whole, I wasn't impressed. The annoyances overshadowed the rest of it for me. I wouldn't say it's a terrible film--it's just really not my cup of tea (besides the heist aspect, which is totally my cup of tea). I just didn't like how this film was put together. It just seems that I have a strange relationship with Kubrick. I only care for the first half of Full Metal Jacket (which is fantastic). I did actually really like A Clockwork Orange. I didn't care for Dr. Strangelove, and we all know my feelings on 2001 by now. I pray The Shining is one I love. But as for this one... put it in the latter half of that list. It's not my least favorite; I just wish it could have been better.
Feed Me, Seymour!
I liked this one a lot, but I do tend to enjoy the older style more. I liked the heist itself, thought it was interesting and I found a handful of the characters compelling and memorable.
ReplyDeletePlus, there are a couple of fantastic moments, like when the shooter has to tell off the parking assistant, that stuck with me long after I saw the film.