KILLER'S KISS (director: Stanley Kubrick; writer: Stanley Kubrick; cinematographer:Stanley Kubrick; cast: Frank Silvera (Vincent Rapallo), Jamie Smith (Davy Gordon), Irene Kane (Gloria Price), Jerry Jarret (Albert, Fight Manager), 1955)
An unsuccessful boxer Davy Gordon (Jamie) rescues an unhappy young woman, Gloria Price (Irene), from being assaulted, who is a dancer in a shady nightspot. They live in the same modest apartment building, which is probably a lot like the one the Bronx born Stanley lived in as a child.
Vincent Rapallo (Silvera) is the sleazy and evil boss, who has a crush on Gloria, refusing to take her no for a final answer. His menacing sneers are unforgetable, adding spice to a feature that makes grand use of every shot taken, and for its very limited budget of $75,000, equals in style and eloquence the highest budgeted films of that era.
Frustrated that his amorous advances are getting him nowhere, and stung by her comment of him as a stinking old man, Vincent attacks her in her apartment, only to be thwarted by Davy. This brings the two lonely people together, and after knowing each other for only 2 days they fall in love and decide to leave the city and go to Davy's uncle's place in Seattle.
By mistake, Vincent's two henchmen grab Davy's fight manager, Albert (Jerry), thinking he is Davy, and beat him to death. They also kidnap Gloria, and when Davy's rescue attempt of her fails, she begs Vincent to spare her life, telling him that she could now love him. This is too much for Davy to take and he jumps out of the warehouse window to escape, as Vincent follows him, leading to a mannequin factory battle scene, where one of Kubrick's classic fight sequences takes place.
The scene returns to the opening shot of the train terminal, where the disconsolate Davy is thinking to himself what a sucker he has been to take life so seriously, when at the last minute Gloria appears and they kiss.
Kubrick has created a sinister noir film, employing dark angle shots and a hand held camera, which is used effectively in the street scenes where he probably didn't have official permission to be filming. It is a surprisingly well-made film, especially considering its low-budget constraints and the very independent way it was produced. It is one of my favorite noir films; it had something about it that I enjoyed that goes beyond its taut story and authencity, it reminded me so much of how the 1950s were a time of alienation and failed dreams for youngsters who were trying to capitalize on the boom times after WW11. Davy and Gloria's fling, despite the stilted acting, captured so much the way lovers of that generation had trouble communicating with each other, that their plight of hapless innocents, stuck in a world of powerful figures who controlled their lives, made it seem as if their only hope was to go where the grass was greener; it actually signalled a migration away from the city for many children of that generation.
REVIEWED ON 7/22/99 GRADE: A
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
ozus@sover.net
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