Killer's Kiss

"Her Soft Mouth Was The Road To Sin-Smeared Violence!"

1955 1h 8m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🍅

83%

FRESH

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 623🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes★6.5IMDB · 27,240

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

“Her Soft Mouth Was The Road To Sin-Smeared Violence!”

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Cast

Frank Silvera
Vincent Rapallo
Jamie Smith
Davy Gordon
Irene Kane
Gloria Price
Jerry Jarrett
Albert
Mike Dana
Gangster
Felice Orlandi
Gangster
Shaun O'Brien
Landlord
Barbara Brand
Taxi Dance Lady

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Howard Sackler, Stanley Kubrick
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, shot by Stanley Kubrick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Gerald Fried. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stanley Kubrick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Frank Silvera and Jamie Smith and Irene Kane carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stanley Kubrick directs. Stanley Kubrick behind the camera. Gerald Fried scores. Stanley Kubrick cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
371 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5Directed by Stanley Kubrick, shot by Stanley Kubrick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Gerald Fried. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Stanley Kubrick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Frank Silvera and Jamie Smith and Irene Kane carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Her Soft Mouth Was The Road To Sin-Smeared Violence!".
10IMDB entry: tt0048254 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stanley Kubrick
Original score: Gerald Fried
Editing: Stanley Kubrick
Runtime: 68 min · 1h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $75,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: Killer's Kiss (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 27,240 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win total

Golden Leopard

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stanley Kubrick

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-03-15
★ 6/10
Classy, Feverish, a Mess? The second feature film directed by future critical darling Stanley Kubrick, Killer's Kiss isn't a particularly good film. With its very basic "B" film noir plot, choppy editing, post-dubbing and "interesting" acting from the unknown cast, the film should really be a chore to get through. However, it represents a worthwhile investment of our time for two main reasons. One is of course to witness the early work of a most revered and talented director. The other is because of some indelible images that exist within the piece, images crafted around authentic New York locations. The plot revolves around Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a 29 year old New York boxer at the end of his career, and his relationship with a dancer and her violent employer. Love, violence and revenge all crammed into one sweaty New York weekend. Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay with Howard Sackler, he also edited, co-produced and photographed the picture himself. All financed by cash generated from friends and family of the novice director. While there is nothing to write home about in the writing, certainly there is no hint of the creative writing flair Kubrick would show later in his career, it's with the visuals - and to a lesser extent - the sound work, that this shows that the powerful director was quick out of the traps. The whole film comes across as some feverish fairy-tale, one which at frequent moments shifts to some sort of surrealistic nightmare. The effects are aided by the use of negative film stock and the tilting blend of opposing character scenes. Sexual aggression segues with a brutal boxing match, and a ballerina dancing sequence takes one away from the hustle and bustle of the loud streets. Streets where bizarre fez wearing musicians prance about gaily and where shadowy figures follow men down alleyways to enact a brutal crime. All distorting, memorable stuff, capped off by an axe fight in a mannequin factory, the dismembered parts used not only a weapons, but also as a point of reference to the weird thematics laid down by Kubrick. With stark black and white imagery augmented by the harsh music, and Kubrick dallying with close ups and low angle camera shots, Killer's Kiss is never less than engrossing from a technical viewpoint. Think of it like that weird dream you had when you had taken too much cough syrup that one time, and you will then be half way there... 6/10

Production companies