The Killers

Citizen Kane isn't the only film in which the lead character dies in the beginning and sets an audience in pursuit of what to make of his final moments. Mike and Dan talk about The Killers (1946), Robert Siodmak's adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story and a terrific noir, right down to the clackety-clack shoes. As a reformed English major, Mike talks about the "gimmick" of the film but also how that gimmick is easily defeated by Ava Gardner standing at the piano. Dan brings in John Donne, Dylan Thomas, and a man at a gas station. John Wick makes an appearance, too. So throw that broch in the soup and give it a listen!

Interested in the source material? You can read Hemingway's "The Killers" in this collection.