Kudos to TCM I was able to witness a very early Stanley Kubrick effort, the noir thriller Killer's Kiss (1955). Kubrick's second film, after Fear and Desire, it is very similar to his much more acclaimed The Killing - a straight-forward, low-budget kitchen sink crime film. It also shares with The Killing that it's rather dull and unremarkable - a film that could have been made by any cheap Hollywood hack. But since Kubrick was just starting out, I'm willing to give him some leeway - and there are certainly some worthwhile moments, that make this worth a look.
The film involves Davy Gordon (Jamie Smith), a New York City prizefighter who saves ne'er-do-well Gloria Price (Irene Kane) from small-time hood Vincent (Frank DaSilva). The two fall in love, while trying to avoid Vincent and his goons seeking retribution. That's really all that you need to know about the plot; it won't bear much more in-depth a description.
The movie was made on the most shoe-string budget imaginable - as low as $75,000 I believe - and it certainly looks it. The film has a kitchen sink cinema verite style that doesn't exactly allow for much directoral flair; most of the camera angles and direction are fairly straightforward. The film's length and plot allow for little story or character development, preventing a viewer from really becoming involved in the film. The cast is pretty wooden and the script consists of economic, generic tough guy dialogue. For most of the runtime, the film doesn't look any different from any number of B-List Hollywood films - a product of Roger Corman's schlock factory, perhaps.
Still, such a great talent as Kubrick can't keep his skills completely concealed, even in such uninspiring material. He makes some creative use of cinematography and editing, which, while obviously not as impressive as his later work, show early signs of genius - most notably the scene where Davy's manager (Jerry Jarrett) is killed by Vincent's thugs in a shadowy alley, and the imaginative negative-image dream sequence. The movie really earns its spurs in the final fifteen minutes, as Davy has to save Gloria from Vincent and his goons. The final hand-to-hand fight in the mannequin-store is a powerful, intense sequence, and the scene of Davy and Vincent grappling with tools strangely predates the Kirk Douglas-Woody Strode duel in Spartacus.
Killer's Kiss is a worthwhile watch (and at 67 minutes it isn't exactly excrutiating to sit through), and certainly the wonderful last fifteen minutes makes with worth a look if nothing else. It's better than The Killing, but there's only scant sign of the filmmaker Kubrick would become. Still, there's something to be said for the climax.
Rating: 6/10 - Use Your Own Discretion
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