Like a one-man studio, the legendary Stanley Kubrick (The Killing, The Shining) co-wrote, co-produced, shot, edited and directed his second feature, the dazzling film noir Killer’s Kiss. Down-and-out New York City boxer Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) strikes up a romance with nightclub dancer Gloria Price (Irene Kane). Their budding relationship is violently interrupted by Gloria’s boss, Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera), who has eyes for his employee. When Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows. Killer’s Kiss provides a fascinating look into the early work of a man who would soon become one of the world’s most important and influential filmmakers, and it’s a remarkable achievement in its own right: the boxing match may be the most vicious this side of Raging Bull, and the famed final battle remains an action tour-de-force.
For thoughts on Killer’s Kiss, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Killer’s Kiss appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of an impressive new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative in 2160p/Dolby Vision that will simply blow you away. The Criterion Collection previously included this film as a bonus feature of the Blu-Ray release of The Killing restored in HD, but the difference between the two is night and day. Kino is treating this film with the respect it deserves, giving it the spotlight with an impeccable transfer. Even though this film was shot on a shoestring budget with many inherent limitations, there is no doubt that even it can benefit from a proper 4K presentation. It is not the most aesthetically flawless film we have ever seen given the source material, but it represents the best the film will probably ever look.
The stark black and white cinematography is striking with controlled gradients and subtle textures. Grain-haters beware, as this transfer maintains the filmic quality of the picture with coarse film grain giving way to rich details. It may be thick, but it always looks natural with nothing veering into noise or compression artifacts. The transfer also eradicates any dust specks or print damage that previously plagued previous releases. This picture showcases some excellent depth to the image which gives way to a pleasing sense of scale within these cramped locales. Black levels are appropriately deep without any pesky nuisances such as crush or banding. This transfer is a standout showcase of textural details in the costumes and production design. This film looks better than I ever would have imagined even after knowing how much benefit a 4K UHD Blu-Ray can provide. Kino Classics should be proud of this release.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a pretty strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well considering its age and source limitations. It is worth pointing out up top that due to issues during the production, all of the dialogue and effects were looped during post-production. As noted in the commentary track, the reliance on narration allows this to not be terribly distracting, but you might notice some loose sync or even the fact that Irene Kane did not return to supply her own vocals. Knowing this, dialogue holds up well alongside background noises in perfect harmony with all competing elements. The effects are quite formidable and crisp, likely since they were manufactured after the fact and not captured on location. This also means the track does not fall victim to much age related wear and tear such as hissing and crackles. Even the music mostly avoids instances of distortion along the way. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. This track does everything one could ask from it.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary #1: Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith provides a deeply informative commentary track in which she discusses how this film fits into the career of Stanley Kubrick, the ways in which this film exemplifies his style and stands apart from it, his reasons for relying so heavily on narration, the adherence to the production codes of the time, the music of the film and so much more that provides some great context to the feature.
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer is provided for Killer’s Kiss. There are also trailers provided for The Killing and Paths Of Glory.
Final Thoughts
Killer’s Kiss is admittedly more of a curio in the oeuvre of Stanley Kubrick rather than a stone cold classic like many of his films are considered. Nevertheless, he takes the film noir genre and does some very interesting work within it that signals some of the greatness that is ahead of him. It is with tongue planted firmly in cheek that I say that Kubrick has made a movie that is mostly “vibes”, exuding a dreamlike atmosphere that makes up for the deficiencies in the rather rote narrative. There are better film noirs, and there are certainly better Kubrick films, but there is still much to appreciate with this one. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a stunning A/V presentation and a really great commentary track that adds some nice context. If you are a Kubrick fan, you owe it to yourself to flesh out your collection even further with this one. Recommended
Killer’s Kiss will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on June 28, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
