The Killers

Ernest Hemingway’s short story about a man who does not try to escape his killers is acted out tensely and accurately, and for once, the gangster-thriller material added to it is not just padding but is also shrewdly conceived (by Anthony Veiller and John Huston, although Huston’s name does not appear in the script credits) to show why the man doesn’t care enough about life to run away. Under the expert direction of Robert Siodmak, Burt Lancaster gives his first screen performance (and is astonishingly effective); Siodmak has also done wonders with Ava Gardner.