The Killers

The Killers (1946) is a hard-boiled Hollywood noir directed by Robert Siodmak — watch online on iFILM, starring Edmond O'Brien, Burt Lancaster in his screen debut, and Ava Gardner.

Insurance investigator Reardon can't let go of one odd detail: a man called the Swede just lay in bed and waited for two hit men to shoot him. No fight, no run. Reardon digs into the Swede's past and finds a bank heist, a vanishing quarter-million dollars, and a woman named Kitty Collins who could have talked any man into anything. The further Reardon goes, the more people want him to stop.

Adapted from Ernest Hemingway's short story, the film builds its plot through layered flashbacks — each witness hands over another fragment of a man who let himself be destroyed by one bad choice. Cinematographer Woody Bredell fills every frame with shadow and dread. Essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand where noir came from. Stream The Killers (1946) on iFILM.