Old Time House of Cards?

While watching the Killer’s kiss I had a lot of different ideas about how different things were portrayed through the film noir lens. So, let’s start at the beginning. At first, I found the movie a little slow. However, I did appreciate the realism the beginning of the movie brought by incorporating the day to day life of the two main characters. Especially, how they were paired side by side for comparison. It gave both of them humanity.

One of my favorite shots from the opening of the film both humorous and creative.

In the next portion of the film, Gloria and Davey’s relationship develops. I found their Gloria’s character generally more compelling than David’s. Her backstory really helped characterize her. However, it gave me mixed feeling on the femme fatale character. She appeared for the most part helpless and I would find it far more interesting if she knew of the trouble she was bringing into Davey’s life. Additionally, she almost reminded me of a young Blanche Dubois from A Street Car Named Desire in that she was quick to use her charm and looks in any way she needed, and furthermore clearly valued those assets.

I enjoyed the pairing of dance to Gloria’s story, it really emphasized how dance can be used as a storytelling medium.

Overall, I felt this movie did not overall portray a feeling of hopelessness as noir intends but rather a feeling of distrust that I felt was most similar to House of Cards. In Killer’s Kiss, Vincent was clever and sneaky and really filled the full 50s gangster role. Davey is a boxer who is in headlines yet hides this dark past from the public eye. This deception really played the largest role for me in the final scenes. Additionally, I really liked the way the time was distorted in this film. I found Davey’s storytelling style very interesting and really made me wonder, so what’s next? at every turning point in the film.