The veteran criminal planning one last big job before he sails off into the sunset with a suitcase full of untraceable dollars and a beautiful women on his arm. Thats the plan anyway. But The Killing is an example of what happens when you give the textbook to the directorial equivalent of a demi god. You could make the argument that this is Kubricks first real foray into directing with a real budget to play with. And its sickeningly good if you believe thats the case. It seems as if Kubrick just got bored one day and decided to write and record a really brilliant crime movie between his games of chess in the park. Its taut, tense and more highly strung than a ballet dancer at the Bolshoi. Everyone knows that each member of the group will double cross them at some point, it's just a matter of who times it right and who's still alive. The Killing races along to a finale that's the classic fight or flight scene where an implausibly cool Sterling Hayden asks the immortal question, Whats the difference? The answers Kubrick.
