Intro
While pouring back through all the Tarantino films recently I realized a couple things:
1) There's not that many of them. I mean he's only one guy and he pretty much only works off of his own material that he wrote... which takes time, and thus this is very understandable.
2) His films make reference other movies constantly. Now call it what you want homage, reference or just plain theft but I'm thinking that a lot of people don't catch the majority of these references to other films because frankly, we don't have the film same exposure as a young Tarantino did going to the grindhouse theater constantly in his youth or working in a video rental store. However, hypothetically with the vastness of the internet and Amazon, Netflix etc. these films should be easier to get a hold of today, if you know what you're looking for that is.
So I figured there's probably more people out there, like me, who crave more Tarantino constantly and I could showcase some films that I'd consider essential viewing for Tarantino fans. And thus the 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans was born. Now let me warn you this is in no way a comprehensive list and there's no particular order to these either. There's probably hundreds of films that Tarantino references in his own films, and I found enough films I could write about to probably do this series again but that will have to wait until next time there's another big Tarantino release.
DAY 6: The Killing (1956)
The Killing is the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's first film Reservoir Dogs (1992). Like Reservoir Dogs, this film revolves around a heist carried out by complete strangers who are working together. This film is also told in a non-linear fashion not only like Reservoir Dogs but like a majority of the films in Quentin Tarantino's career. (SPOILERS:) This film also ends in a very similar fashion as Reservoir Dogs with a foul up in the plan, leading to everyone getting killed except for one man getting caught by the police.
“Five years have taught me one thing, if nothing else, anytime you take a chance you better be sure the rewards are worth the risk because they can put you away just as fast for a ten dollar heist as they can for a million dollar job.”
The Killing(1956) is a heist, film noir from early in director Stanley Kubrick's career. It revolves around a group of strangers who come together to pull off a robbery at a horse racing track.
The characters in this movie are really interesting. I like how they're all seemingly normal people who each have their own personal reasons for committing the crime. This adds a lot of drama to the heist because for some of these guys you're really rooting for them. Some of the characters are pretty simple but they're all distinct and very interesting.
Most of the actors are good in this film but the ones who's performances really stand out to me are Elisha Cook, Jr. who plays the nervous bet teller, and Marie Windsor the teller's wife who doesn't love him but attempts to get in on the money and also Sterling Hayden has a really solid performance as Johnny the recently released criminal who is the mastermind behind the whole heist. These three add a lot to the film to ground it emotionally and their performances are really caught my interest in the movie.
I liked the plan for the heist, it's a bit complicated and could have been simplified (as Reservoir Dogs (1992) would much later do), but it's very intricate and well thought out, which makes it very interesting to watch as it playing out.
Although the ending is satisfying I think there's one too many coincidences in the end for my taste. The one that really sticks out to me is the one involving the random dog at the airport.
The best thing about this film is how the non-linear storytelling enhances the heist. At the beginning of the film this is intentionally confusing, to bring your attention to it. But by the end it's used to show a wider picture of the whole crime. It's pretty genius actually. And this really helps to enhance the drama of the story as you watch each of the puzzle pieces fit into the larger crime.
And lastly I want to mention the direction of this film. It's no wonder to me that this film is what really put Stanley Kubrick on the map early in his career because this is a film that could have easily not worked half as well if it had a lesser director at the helm. A lot of the camera moves are simple but interesting and the film really does a whole lot with a very little budget.
The Killing (1956) is a great low budget heist movie that is an early example of Stanley Kubrick's genius direction. 4.5/5 Stars.
Happy watching!
This film is part of my month-long Tribute to Tarantino in honor of his latest film Django Unchained (2012) and his 20-year career. If you've missed any of my reviews so far, be sure to check out his filmography and click on any film you've missed.
The 10 must-see films for Tarantino fans countdown continues tomorrow, so be sure to check back!
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