At this point I’d be okay with some killer woman kissing me, as long as she was hot!
Screenplay By: Howard Sackler
Directed By: Stanley Kubrick
There’s nothing special about Killer’s Kiss, nor is it all that interesting, it doesn’t feature great acting or a whole lot to draw the viewer in. Killer’s Kiss is the very definition of a mediocre movie. It’s not horrendous so it isn’t laced with bad attributes for me to rag on, but at the same time it isn’t good so there aren’t any positive attributes for me to highlight. I guess Killer’s Kiss works as a look at an independent noir in the age of big budget noirs, but that is its only real drawing factor, outside of one man.
Of course that one man I am referring to is Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest and most revered director to ever grace film. Killer’s Kiss does end up being a great look at the formative work of Mr. Kubrick. In this, one of his earliest efforts, you can see the shots and camera angles that will go onto define his career. The voiceover narration is present that he will bring back again in The Killing. Some of the dialogue even sounds like later Kubrick, and looking for hints of the Kubrick to come in Killer’s Kiss does provide some enjoyment.
Killer’s Kiss isn’t a movie that any non-Kubrick fan needs to see, and most Kubrick fans will recognize its flaws. But, Killer’s Kiss is an essential movie for Kubrick aficionados because it provides a glimpse into the Kubrick style that was about to come forth for all to see. Save Killer’s Kiss for a time when you feel like examining the formative years of a great director, because if you are simply looking for a movie to enjoy for its artistic merits then Killer’s Kiss is not that movie.
Rating:
**
Cheers,
Bill
Bill's Movie Emporium 
Dear Bill
How wrong your are about Killers Kiss. I viewed this movie today for the first time. Nov 10, 2012 and found it to be a GREAT movie. Yes acting is so so but the techniques, the lighting, the nigntmare sequence using a reversed
negative print is fantastic to say the least. There are so many more great things about this movie and it deserves more tha a 2 star rating.
Josie
Sorry Josie, I don’t think Killer’s Kiss is that great of a film. It’s a technically proficient film, and it shows signs of where Kubrick would head to in his later films. But, the story is very thin and the acting is pretty deficient. For me Killer’s Kiss is not technically proficient enough to make up its shortcomings.