Tubi Noir: ‘Killer’s Kiss’

Welcome to Tubi Noir, an occasional feature about noir movies on Tubi. I’ve previously written about Johnny O’Clock, The Big Combo and The Man With the Golden Arm.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Tubi Noir, and I don’t want to let down the three people who enjoy this feature. Last time I said the next one would be Odd Man Out, which is about an Irish Republican trying to evade the police after a bank robbery in Belfast, but that was months ago, and I’ve changed my mind. I’m in the mood for a New York movie — Stanley Kubrick’s 1955 crime drama Killer’s Kiss.

Killer’s Kiss was the GOAT’s second film, after 1953’s Fear and Desire. He produced, wrote, directed, shot, and edited the picture. He was only 27 at the time of its release, and while his craft was still immature, his talent was as clear as the ceiling in the old Penn Station. He had a way with images like no one else. This is a beautiful movie to look at.

It follows declining boxer Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith, whose career peaked with this role) as he falls in love with his neighbor, a dancer named Gloria Smith (Irene Kane, who didn’t have much of a film career but later found success as a journalist under the name Chris Chase). Gloria is kept by gangster Vinnie Rapallo (Frank Silvera, a veteran character actor who died in 1970 in a freak accident when he was electrocuted while fixing his garbage disposal). When Davey and Gloria make a plan to run away together, Vinnie tries to stop them. The story ends violently but happily, with Davey killing Vinnie in self-defense and Gloria coming to meet him in Penn Station, where he’s been uncertainly waiting for her while the story unfolds in flashbacks.

The plot is so thin that the movie is over in just 67 minutes, and the performances aren’t particularly memorable, which is why Killer’s Kiss is not considered a top-tier noir. But plot and performance are less important by design, because Kubrick is focused on images here. He had been a Life Magazine photographer, and that experience is evident in his well-composed shots set in real-world locations, most notably Times Square at night and the aforementioned old Penn Station. The film is much less talky than most movies from this era, as Kubrick chooses to let his images speak for themselves. It’s a moody, atmospheric thriller that probably got played in the early “arthouse” cinemas alongside Italian neorealist films.

The plot of Killer’s Kiss is so generic that a remake would feel like an homage to the genre/riff on its cliches. Spider-Noir just did a gangster’s moll storyline like this, mashed up with Spider-Man. If someone really wanted to remake an early Kubrick film, a better pick would be The Killing, which followed Killer’s Kiss and was his breakout. It has stronger characters and a more engaging plot about a heist at a racetrack seen from different participants’ perspectives. It’s based on a novel, so the approach could be a new adaptation.

This movie nothing but memorable images, but if I had to pick one, it would be the repeated visual of Davey in Penn Station, vibrating with anxiety. Actually, no, I would pick Davey and Vinnie’s climactic fight, which takes place in a warehouse full of creepy mannequins.

“A boxer begins a passionate affair with a sultry woman, but her jealous boyfriend and his gang of thugs get in the way of their happiness.”

Maybe Odd Man Out? Maybe The Postman Always Rings Twice? Take a look on Tubi and let me know if you have any requests.

(This post is not affiliated with Tubi, I just think Tubi is great.)