14/12/2009

1955: Killer's Kiss

Given that he withdrew his 1953 feature film debut Fear and Desire, this is the first Kubrick movie that can be watched using standard channels and the last one that was missing from my list. The film about a boxer, a dancer and a criminal, small in terms of budget, scope and length, has two foots firmly planted in the noir tradition, achieves a generally rough feel mainly through the extensive use of handheld camera and has some brilliant shots of Manhattan's back alleys. Enjoyed it more than the generally similar but more acclaimed 1956 The Killing. (7) By the way, I recently read somewhere that it was one of Martin Scorcese's great achievements in directing Raging Bull that he filmed the boxing scenes from inside the ring. Whoever thought that was some great innovation apparently hasn't seen Killer's Kiss.

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