The Killers movie storyline. Two hitmen, Max and Al (William Conrad and Charles McGraw), come to a small town, Brentwood, New Jersey, to kill Pete Lund, known as “The Swede” (Burt Lancaster). The Swede’s coworker at a gas station warns him but, strangely, he makes no attempt to flee, and they kill him in his hotel room. The Swede is soon revealed to be Ole Andreson.)
Life insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O’Brien) is assigned to find and pay the beneficiary of the Swede’s $2,500 policy. Tracking down and interviewing the dead man’s friends and associates, Reardon doggedly pieces together his story. Philadelphia police Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levene), a close, longtime friend of the Swede, is particularly helpful.
Through flashbacks, it is revealed that the Swede was a professional boxer whose career was cut short by an injury to his right hand. Rejecting Lubinsky’s suggestion to join the police force, the Swede gets mixed up with a bad crowd, including “Big Jim” Colfax (Albert Dekker). He drops his girlfriend Lily (Virginia Christine) for the more glamorous Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner). When Lubinsky catches Kitty wearing stolen jewelry, the Swede “confesses” to the crime and serves three years in prison.
When the Swede gets out, he, “Dum-Dum” Clarke (Jack Lambert) and “Blinky” Franklin (Jeff Corey) are recruited for a payroll robbery in Hackensack, NJ, masterminded by Big Jim. Complicating matters is the fact that Kitty is now Big Jim’s girl. The robbery nets the gang $250,000. When their rendezvous place (supposedly) burns down, all of the gang members but the Swede are notified of where to meet. Kitty then informs the Swede that he is being double-crossed. The Swede takes all of the money at gunpoint and flees. Kitty meets him later in Atlantic City, then disappears with the money herself.
The Killers [a.k.a. ‘A Man Alone’] is a 1946 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and based in part on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. It stars Burt Lancaster in his film debut, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, and Sam Levene. The film also features William Conrad in his first credited role, as one of the killers referred to in the title. An uncredited John Huston and Richard Brooks co-wrote the screenplay, which was credited to Anthony Veiller.
The Killers (1946)
Directed by: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene, Vince Barnett, Virginia Christine, Jack Lambert, Donald MacBride, Charles D. Brown, William Conrad
Screenplay by: Richard Brooks, Anthony Veiller, John Huston
Cinematography by: Elwood Bredell
Film Editing by: Arthur Hilton
Set Decoration by: Russell A. Gausman, Edward R. Robinson
Art Direction by: Martin Obzina, Jack Otterson
Music by: Miklós Rózsa
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: August 28, 1946
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