---
title: "The Killers: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-killers/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-killers"
critics_score: 83
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Killers (1946): what the critics said

Critics' score 83 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics regard The Killers as a gripping noir thriller, with eight of the nine reviews positive and none wholly negative. Praise centres on Robert Siodmak’s direction and the expressive black-and-white photography, which the reviews credit with sustaining the film’s tense, fatalistic atmosphere. Burt Lancaster’s screen presence draws particular admiration, while Ava Gardner’s performance and Miklós Rózsa’s score also receive praise.

Reservations concern the writing and pace rather than the visual craft, though they produce one marked dissent from an otherwise favourable consensus. Slant Magazine admires the direction, especially a heist staged in one long shot, but finds that the flashbacks clutter Hemingway’s streamlined story. The AV Club is less persuaded, finding the film sluggish despite its expressive photography and preferring the livelier remake. Collider takes the opposite view of the two versions, judging the 1946 film stronger and finding its style deeply satisfying.

## Radio Times — Tony Sloman

Rating 5/5. 

Sloman calls it a powerful, influential thriller that helped define film noir. He particularly praises Burt Lancaster’s stunning debut and Ava Gardner’s career-defining performance.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-h393bj/the-killers/)

## Time Out — Wally Hammond

Rating 5/5. 12 February 2008. 

The critic presents the film as a quintessential noir thriller. The page singles out its taut, tense, terrific qualities.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-killers)

## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen

Rating 4.5/5. 8 July 2015. 

Bowen finds Siodmak’s film ambitious and vividly directed, but says its flashback-heavy plotting clutters Hemingway’s streamlined story. He particularly praises the breathtaking heist staged in one long master shot.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-killers/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 February 2008. 

Philip French calls the film a classic and praises Siodmak as a supreme exponent of film noir. He singles out the atmospheric photography and Miklós Rózsa’s score as particular delights.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/feb/17/thriller.features)

## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 April 1997. 

Thomas says the film has worn very well and remains bleak, terse, and engrossingly fatalistic. He singles out Burt Lancaster, who commands the screen from his first scene.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-20-tv-50473-story.html)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2008. 

Parkinson gives the film a clearly positive verdict, praising its atmosphere and gripping action. He singles out Robert Siodmak’s Expressionist direction and the foreboding monochrome photography.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/killers-review/)

## The AV Club — Scott Tobias

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2003. 

Tobias finds the 1946 film sluggish overall, despite its strengths, and contrasts it with the livelier remake. He praises Siodmak’s expressive black-and-white cinematography for conveying the story’s despairing tone.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/ernest-hemingways-the-killers-1946-1798198287)

## Collider — Andre Dellamorte

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2015. 

The critic considers the 1946 film the stronger version and finds it stylish and deeply satisfying. He especially praises its black-and-white photography.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/criterion-blu-ray-reviews-the-killers-limelight-black-stallion/)

## Eye for Film — Chris

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2008. 

The critic considers it a gripping, stylish classic noir with abundant redeeming qualities, despite finding the script unmemorable. They single out Ava Gardner’s screen presence and the film’s tense atmosphere for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-killers-film-review-by-chris)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-killers.md