Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

The Killing 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 30, 2022

Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing" (1956) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary by film noir expert Alan K. Rode and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is a perfect job. Any questions?

The men have decided to rob a heavily guarded race track. If all goes well, they estimate that they will be able to walk away with approximately two million in untraceable bills. After they split the money, the men do not plan to see each other ever again.

Their leader is Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden, The Asphalt Jungle, The Long Goodbye), a fast-talking perfectionist who has thought of everything. This would be the biggest job he has ever done -- and his last one. After it, Johnny will retire.

George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr., The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep), a cashier at the race track, is one of Johnny’s most important men. His life has been a disaster, but he has been lucky to share it with a beautiful woman, Sherry (Marie Windsor, Force of Evil, The Narrow Margin). George has agreed to work with Johnny for Sherry. With his cut of the money, he will finally be able to give Sherry the type of life he always felt she deserves. However, George does not know that for quite some time Sherry has been secretly seeing a younger man (Vince Edwards).

Mike O’Reilly (Joe Sawyer, Gilda), a bartender at the race track, has failed his seriously sick wife Ruthie (Dorothy Adams). The two never had the life he promised they would when they first met. Mike feels that it is time that he finally delivered on his promise.

Randy Kennan (Ted de Corsia, The Naked City, The Lady from Shanghai) is a patrolman who has agreed to help Johnny because he desperately needs money to cover his massive gambling debts. One of his creditors, Leo (Jay Adler), has just given him two weeks to settle his obligation to him. If he fails, Randy's life will become very complicated, painful too.

Marv (Jay C. Flippen, The Wild One, Hot Summer Night) is an old-timer looking for some excitement in his life. He has loaned Johnny a large sum of money to cover various expenses. Marv’s apartment is where Johnny’s men will discuss their final preparation efforts.

Maurice (Kola Kwariani) is a former bouncer with an impressive police record. He has been hired by Johnny to take care of "half a dozen private dicks". Nikki (Timothy Carey, One-eyed Jacks, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), a lonely bachelor, has also been hired to help Johnny. He is a terrific shooter who can keep his mouth shut.

On the day of the robbery, a minor detail goes wrong. Johnny’s men are forced to improvise and then, in just a few hours, the entire operation falls apart.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing, adapted from Lionel White’s novel Clean Break (with dialog by Jim Thompson), is a classic film noir that works with typical genre ingredients -- transgressive behavior, fatalism, and brutal realism. However, its pragmatism often makes it look like an atypical period documentary.

Though Kubrick immediately makes it clear that the main protagonists in the film are doomed, their actions are fascinating to behold, and the finale is quite surprising. A big reason why is Kubrick's decision to fracture the narrative into brilliantly scripted episodes that allow the film to move at an incredible pace, never dragging or overenhancing looks and moods.

A dark sense of humor is very easy to detect, but it is expertly controlled and does not interfere with the film's pragmatism.

The acting is excellent. Hayden leads with authority and very much looks like a seasoned professional who has figured out the perfect plan to get rich quickly. Sawyer and Windsor are very convincing as well. There is a large supporting cast, but all secondary parts are essential.

The Killing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1 and encoded with HEVC / H.265, The Killing arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. This release does not include a Blu-ray copy of the film.

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual values and balance of the grayscale.

The Killing made its high-definition debut with this release which was produced by Criterion in 2011. The original Blu-ray release was sourced from a 2K master, while this new 4K Blu-ray release is sourced from a new 4K master.

I spent plenty of time comparing the two releases and I have to say that both offer excellent presentations of the film. In fact, I think that there is only one area where the 4K Blu-ray release very clearly excels and produces a more satisfying presentation of the film, which is the dynamic range of the visuals. What does this mean exactly? The transition from SDR to HDR either enhances or expands minor nuances that affect the perception of depth. For example, the film has plenty of areas with unique ranges of darker nuances that look more attractive with the Dolby Vision/HDR grade in native 4K. Simply put, these areas have a superior organic appearance. When there is plenty of movement, the fluidity of the visuals is better as well. However, I have to make it very clear that the actual detail that you will see in 1080p and native 4K is equally great. To be honest, if the 4K Blu-ray did not have the Dolby Vision/HDR grade, it would be awfully difficult to highlight specific areas where the 4K visuals immediately look superior. You might be able to spot various nuances that are handled better in native 4K, but only if you have already carefully examined the 1080p presentation. Of course, with Dolby Vision/HDR enabled, as noted above the discrepancies in the grayscale begin to affect other areas. There are no traces of digital tinkering. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy as well. Ultimately, if you want the very best presentation of The Killing, you need to pick up this new 4K Blu-ray release for your library. (Note: This is a Region-Free 4K Blu-ray release).

The Killing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear and very easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is very good as well. However, just like on the Criterion release, there are a few areas where extremely light hiss can be detected. It is never distracting, but if you turn up the volume of your system, you will notice its presence. (See the footage around the 0:15:24 mark where the lovers meet).

The Killing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage theatrical trailer for The Killing. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and film Historian Alan K. Rode, who is one of the most knowledgeable people you can hire to do discuss a classic film noir. (In fact, his one and only real competitor is Eddie Muller). The commentary offers an enormous amount of outstanding information about the conception, production, and style of The Killing, as well as Stanley Kubrick's working methods, style, and career. All major cast and crew members and their careers are addressed, too. It is an outstanding commentary, so if you like The Killing and want to learn more about Kubrick's legacy, find the time to listen to it in its entirety.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Killing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If supporting actors were always as crucial and as good as they are in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, they would be called something else. Sterling Hayden is the most authoritative character in The Killing, but everyone else around him is irreplaceable. There are a lot of great films, not just film noirs, that are as pragmatic as The Killing, but you can usually find some fat in them that can be cut off. I can't find any in The Killing, which is pretty astonishing because stylistically this film is still quite versatile. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release offers an outstanding technical presentation of it and features a predictably excellent exclusive new audio commentary by film noir expert Alan K. Rode. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.