Dana and Tom with 5x Club member and CLP contributor, Peterson W. Hill (Co-Host of the War Starts at Midnight podcast), discuss The Killing (1956), celebrating its 70th anniversary: written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, cinematography by Lucien Ballard, editing by Lucy Steinberg, music by Gerald Fried, starring Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, and Jay C. Flippen.
Plot Summary: The Killing is a tense crime thriller about a carefully planned racetrack robbery that slowly falls apart because of bad luck, greed, and human mistakes. Sterling Hayden plays Johnny Clay, a smart criminal who gathers a group of men to help him steal money from a horse racing track. Each member of the team has a specific job, and the plan seems nearly perfect. As the robbery moves forward, Kubrick shows the events from different points of view, building suspense as the audience sees how every detail connects. Problems begin when one man’s reckless actions and another man’s jealous wife threaten the entire operation.
Guest:
Peterson W. Hill - Co-Host of the War Starts at Midnight podcast
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction, Cast, and Background for The Killing
02:33 Welcome Back, Peterson W. Hill
06:03 Peterson's Relationship to The Killing
07:40 Dana and Tom's First Time with The Killing
10:47 Documentary Style and Narration
15:27 What is the Significance of the Title "The Killing"?
17:24 What Influences Has The Killing Had?
22:26 Plot Summary for The Killing
25:50 Did You Know?
29:16 First Break
30:43 What's Happening with Peterson W. Hill
35:55 Best Performance(s)
41:50 Best Scene(s)
49:52 Second Break
50:31 In Memoriam
54:14 Best/Funniest Lines
56:13 The Stanley Rubric - Legacy
01:02:50 The Stanley Rubric - Impact/Significance
01:09:32 The Stanley Rubric - Novelty
01:14:02 The Stanley Rubric - Classicness
01:19:45 The Stanley Rubric - Rewatchability
01:23:22 The Stanley Rubric - Audience Score and Final Total
01:27:04 Remaining Questions for The Killing
01:34:57 Thank You to Peterson and Remaining Thoughts
01:39:09 Credits
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Keywords:
Stanley Kubrick, The Killing, heist film, film analysis, cinema history, visual style, narrative techniques, film influence, film analysis, movie legacy, impact, classic movies, film discussion, rewatchability, horse racing, Sterling Hayden, Lucien Ballard
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