The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Killing
Crime · Thriller · Drama · 1956
Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.
Movie details
The Killing
“In all its fury and violence...”
1956 Crime · Thriller · Drama 1h 25m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.6 / 10
Community rating
Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Killing?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Blood Simple
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Donnie Brasco
Crime · 1997
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.
A Most Violent Year
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A Perfect Murder
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The Air I Breathe
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Lucky Number Slevin
Drama · 2006
Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses. Under constant watch, Slevin must try not to get killed by an infamous assassin and come up with an idea of how to get out of his current dilemma.
Crime of Passion
Drama · 1956
Kathy leaves the newspaper business to marry homicide detective Bill, but is frustrated by his lack of ambition and the banality of life in the suburbs. Her drive to advance Bill's career soon takes her down a dangerous path.
Casino
Crime · 1995
In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Written by
Stanley Kubrick · Jim Thompson
Sterling Hayden
Johnny Clay
Coleen Gray
Fay
Vince Edwards
Val Cannon
Jay C. Flippen
Marvin Unger
Ted de Corsia
Randy Kennan
Marie Windsor
Sherry Peatty
Elisha Cook Jr.
George Peatty
Court is in session
Put The Killing on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.