The Killers

Making his film debut in The Killers, Burt Lancaster portrays Swede, a broken-down ex-fighter waiting in a sleazy room to be assassinated without resistance. Soon after, it becomes the job of insurance investigator Edmond O'Brien to discover why Swede had given up. He pieces together an elaborate look at a man who became the fall guy for gangsters and a seductive, unscrupulous woman (Ava Gardner). A taut Miklos Rozsa score (with a theme later used in "Dragnet"), an Anthony Veiller screenplay (with, uncredited, John Huston), and the brilliant artistry of director Robert Siodmak make this a stunning tale of cross and double-cross.