While an argument can be made for "Fear and Desire" being his first official film, Kubrick himself was critical of both Fear and Desire, and Killer's Kiss, and called them "student films that barely get passing grades." (He then withdrew Fear and Desire from circulation, but that was remedied when Criterion restored and reissued the film several years ago).
For Killer's Kiss, there are some moments that seem to go on forever, specifically the boxing match near the beginning and the ballerina sequence. Although as evidenced by Kubrick's first true "student film," a short film about a boxing match called "Day of the Fight," Kubrick was fascinated by the sport. And the voiceover that occurs over the ballerina sequence is important for character development.
In the end, there is much to recommend here, especially to those who enjoy Columbia Pictures' on-location film noirs of the 1950s (currently available in 4 DVD box sets). Kubrick shot the entire film on location, and didn't have a permit, so several street scenes had to be filmed "rogue" style from cars. But Kubrick was no Ed Wood and you never notice that in the final product.
Hitchcock's Rear Window came out a year before this movie, and Kubrick seems to have been inspired by that movie as well. The hero and the woman he gets involved with live on opposite sides of their apartment building, with windows that face each other. This sets the stage for the main conflict of the film, when during a surreal dream, the boxer Davey hears a scream, only to realize the scream was not in his dream, but in real life, coming from his neighbor's apartment. Davey first becomes the woman's protector (protecting her from her slimy boss at a ballroom dancing club and his goons), and then lover.
Kubrick packs a lot of intensity in such a short running time (at a mere 65 minutes, this is Kubrick's shortest film). Even sequences that seem like dressing, such as Davey being bothered by Shriners in a neon-dominated Times Square, are important to the plot. Times Square looks nothing like it does now, and even if one doesn't care for the story, seeing this version of Times Square that would be in existence until the early 1970s should keep viewers entertained.
The finale takes place in a dingy mannequin factory, with Davey using a fire poker to fend off the ax-wielding villain. In a way this sequence foreshadows the gladiator fights in Spartacus. Davey lays out the story in voiceover while waiting for a train to take him out of New York to his uncle's ranch near Seattle. The events are mostly told in flashback. But, rare for a Kubrick film, this does have a happy ending.
Killer's Kiss exists as a stand-alone DVD on Amazon but movie buffs will get more bang for their buck with the Criterion disk, where this movie is a supplemental item to the main event of the Criterion release - his next film The Killing.
For Killer's Kiss, there are some moments that seem to go on forever, specifically the boxing match near the beginning and the ballerina sequence. Although as evidenced by Kubrick's first true "student film," a short film about a boxing match called "Day of the Fight," Kubrick was fascinated by the sport. And the voiceover that occurs over the ballerina sequence is important for character development.
In the end, there is much to recommend here, especially to those who enjoy Columbia Pictures' on-location film noirs of the 1950s (currently available in 4 DVD box sets). Kubrick shot the entire film on location, and didn't have a permit, so several street scenes had to be filmed "rogue" style from cars. But Kubrick was no Ed Wood and you never notice that in the final product.
Hitchcock's Rear Window came out a year before this movie, and Kubrick seems to have been inspired by that movie as well. The hero and the woman he gets involved with live on opposite sides of their apartment building, with windows that face each other. This sets the stage for the main conflict of the film, when during a surreal dream, the boxer Davey hears a scream, only to realize the scream was not in his dream, but in real life, coming from his neighbor's apartment. Davey first becomes the woman's protector (protecting her from her slimy boss at a ballroom dancing club and his goons), and then lover.
Kubrick packs a lot of intensity in such a short running time (at a mere 65 minutes, this is Kubrick's shortest film). Even sequences that seem like dressing, such as Davey being bothered by Shriners in a neon-dominated Times Square, are important to the plot. Times Square looks nothing like it does now, and even if one doesn't care for the story, seeing this version of Times Square that would be in existence until the early 1970s should keep viewers entertained.
The finale takes place in a dingy mannequin factory, with Davey using a fire poker to fend off the ax-wielding villain. In a way this sequence foreshadows the gladiator fights in Spartacus. Davey lays out the story in voiceover while waiting for a train to take him out of New York to his uncle's ranch near Seattle. The events are mostly told in flashback. But, rare for a Kubrick film, this does have a happy ending.
Killer's Kiss exists as a stand-alone DVD on Amazon but movie buffs will get more bang for their buck with the Criterion disk, where this movie is a supplemental item to the main event of the Criterion release - his next film The Killing.