The Killer Is Loose

"He was no ordinary killer... She was no ordinary victim... This is no ordinary motion picture!"

1956 1h 13m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

67%

FRESH

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 62🍅67%Rotten Tomatoes★6.6IMDB · 2,650

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A savings-and-loan bank is robbed; later, a police wiretap identifies meek bank teller Leon Poole as the inside man. In capturing him, detective Sam Wagner accidentally kills Poole's young wife, and at his trial Poole swears vengeance against Wagner. Poole begins his plans to get revenge when he escapes his captors.

“He was no ordinary killer... She was no ordinary victim... This is no ordinary motion picture!”

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Cast

Joseph Cotten
Detective Sam Wagner
Rhonda Fleming
Lila Wagner
Wendell Corey
Leon 'Foggy' Poole
Alan Hale Jr.
Detective Denny
Michael Pate
Detective Chris Gillespie
John Larch
Otto Flanders
Dee J. Thompson
Grace Flanders
John Beradino
Mac

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Budd Boetticher
Writers: Harold Medford, John Hawkins, Ward Hawkins
Languages: English
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 73-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Budd Boetticher, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Fleming and Wendell Corey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He was no ordinary killer... She was no ordinary victim... This is no ordinary motion picture!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049405 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Budd Boetticher directs. Lucien Ballard behind the camera. Lionel Newman scores. George A. Gittens cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 73-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Budd Boetticher, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lionel Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor George A. Gittens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Fleming and Wendell Corey carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He was no ordinary killer... She was no ordinary victim... This is no ordinary motion picture!".
8IMDB entry: tt0049405 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 23 themes, including "prison", "escape", "trial", "revenge".