The Killers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Killers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2015

Don Siegel's "The Killers" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival video interview with actor Clu Gulager; and excerpt about "The Killers" from director Don Siegel's autobiography, "A Siegel Film", read by actor and director Hampton Fancher. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring essays by novelist Jonathan Lethem and critic Geoffrey O'Brien. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Charlie Strom

Professional killers Charlie (Lee Marvin, Point Blank, Death Hunt) and Lee (Clu Gulager, The Last Picture Show) quickly eliminate their latest target, Jonny North (John Cassavetes, Machine Gun McCain), but decide to find out why he did not try to run away from them. The killers then meet Earl Sylvester (Claude Akins, Ride Beyond Vengeance), Johnny’s former associate, who reveals to them that their target was a top driver. Earl also tells the killers that Johnny was in love with a beautiful girl (Angie Dickinson, Dressed to Kill, China Gate), who was another man’s precious possession. Johnny knew the man (Ronald Reagan) and did some business with him, but their relationship became complicated and the two eventually parted ways.

Soon after, the killers meet Johnny’s girl. Initially she refuses to talk to them, but they 'convince' her to tell them what they need to know. Then the killers visit the office of Johnny’s ex-partner, who confirms their suspicions that business was not why they went in different directions.

Key events in Don Siegel’s The Killers are revealed in rather long flashbacks. Like scattered pieces of a giant puzzle, these events are then slowly arranged in a way that eventually allows the viewer to understand the characters’ motivations. During the process there are a few minor twists, but the film’s finale isn’t surprising.

What surprises in The Killers are the attitudes of the main characters. Each, including Cassavetes’ experienced driver, looks oddly comfortable while routinely challenging traditional ‘60s perceptions of 'good' and 'bad'. In other words, while the direction the story would follow becomes clear quite early the main characters’ reactions are frequently very surprising. (A great example with a number of such reactions is the first altercation between Cassavetes and Reagan with Dickinson next to them). This bold ‘disrespect’ is what makes The Killers so fascinating to behold.

The film is also quite cynical, but a good dose of light humor is carefully infused in all the right places to make it look respectable. Marvin and Gulager are particularly good in maintaining the important balance.

Loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s story, in the United States The Killers was initially intended to be shown on TV. As a result, Siegel and cinematographer Richard L. Rawlings opted for plenty of light and a variety of bright and lush colors rather than the typical for noir films prominent shadows.

Note: In 1946, Robert Siodmak directed the first version of The Killers with Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner. A very stylish film noir which earned four Oscar nominations, the first version of The Killers has little in common with Siegel’s film.

The Killers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Don Siegel's The Killers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine film scanner from a 35mm interpositive. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 4.

Blu-ray mastering: Radius 60, Los Angeles."

In America initially the film was intended to be shown on TV, while in Europe it was expected to be shown in cinemas. However, the framing is indeed very flexible and allows for a very similar viewing experience with both aspect ratios.
Detail and clarity are pleasing, but some minor density fluctuations can be spotted throughout the entire film. Image depth is also good, but there are areas of the film where it is easy to see that it could be better. Contrast levels remain stable. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. However, grain distribution could fluctuate a bit and as a result in occasionally it could appear either overexposed or underexposed. These fluctuations can be traced back to the master that was used to produce the release. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. Color saturation is very good, but occasionally some minor pulsations are visible. They can also be traced back to the current master. Some minor scratches, vertical lines, and specks could be seen. Finally, overall image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

The Killers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

John Williams' beautiful orchestral score benefits the most from the lossless treatment, but the racing sequences also sound wonderful. Depth and clarity are very good. In fact, anyone who has previously experienced the film only on DVD will likely be very impressed with dramatic improvements. There is no background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

The Killers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Killers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Reflections with Clu Gulager - in this archival video interview, actor Clu Gulager (Lee) explains what makes Don Siegel's film significant, and discusses Lee Marvin's performance, the shooting of select sequences, Ronald Reagan and Angie Dickinson's performances, Don Siegel's passive directing style, the "devastating" violence in the film, the controversy surrounding the original title for the film (Johnny North), etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion by the actor's sons, John and Tom Gulager, in Los Angeles in the fall of 2002. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

• Don Siegel on The Killers - presented here is an excerpt about The Killers from director Don Siegel's autobiography, A Siegel Film, read by actor and director Hampton Fancher (Blade Runner. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Made for television
  2. Mucho macho
  3. Do the picture for nothing
  4. Quadruple talent
  5. Cobb salad
  6. A theory about drinking
  7. JFK
  8. The garage scene
  9. "Happy birthday, dear John"
  10. Straight scotch
  11. President of SAG
  12. Better than the script

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring essays by novelist Jonathan Lethem and critic Geoffrey O'Brien.

The Killers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Loosely based on Ernest Hemingway's short tale, Don Siegel's The Killers was initially intended to be shown on TV. As a result, Siegel and cinematographer Richard L. Rawlings opted for plenty of light and a variety of bright and lush colors rather than the typical for noir films prominent shadows. I much prefer Robert Siodmak's very stylish 1946 film, but Siegel's adaptation is quite entertaining. It is one of three adaptations included on Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of The Killers (the third is Andrei Tarkovsky's 1956 student film). Please note that Siodmak and Siegel's films are reviewed individually. RECOMMENDED.