Joaquim da Silva Fontes, Significação e Estabilidade do Género no ...

Siodmak’s next two films for Universal, The Killers and Criss Cross, would be
seen as mere prelude to the world of film noir and show the influence of another
independent producer, Mark Hellinger, who was especially keen on hard-boiled fiction set
in realistic locations. Both films demonstrate Siodmak’s take on the criminal noir thriller: a
strong fascination with romantic love and pathological relationships. The Killers made the
reputation of all those involved in it, most especially Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner,
including Anthony Veiller and John Huston’s, who both wrote the script based on the same
flashback structure (eleven fragmented flashbacks in total) used in Citizen Kane (see p.
351) and who contributed to the whole success of the film. Based on the short story by
Hemingway, The Killers introduces a genuine noir story of anxiety and failure of various
protagonists, namely Burt Lancaster (the “Swede” in the film), who eventually gets killed.
An insurance investigator, Jim Reardon (Edward O’Brien), is then assigned to trap the bad
men who were responsible for Swede’s murder. Symbolically, the movie ends with
Reardon smiling at the camera and giving the spectators an enthusiastic salute as “The
End” appears (fig. 79).
Figure 79. The Killers
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