The Killers (1946)

1946's 'The Killers' is an adaption and expansion on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. Only about the first 15 minutes of the film is directly from the short story, which is really short. Two strangers come to a small town to murder a 'keeps to himself gas station attendant', as part of their plan they briefly take over the diner where their target eats most every night. The story drops hints as to the targets criminal past, German born director Robert Sidomak expand the story into more of a film noir, a genra he'd work alot in thereafter, having worked his way up from horror and adventure films at Universal.

The story is presented in a formate similar to that of 'Citizen Kane', here an insurance investigator played by Edmond O'Brian tracks down the middle aged Atlantic City hotel maid who the victiam, played by a 32 year old Burt Lancaster in his screen debut, left his $2,500 (roughly $38,000 in today's dollars) insurance death benefit to. Turns out the maid had stopped him from committing suicide 6 years previous. 

O'Brian meets and interviews various people who knew Lancaster and gets parts of the man's story which are told in flashback. Eventually he connects Lancaster to a pay roll robbery 6 years before and finds that the lynchpin to cracking that case is a femme fatale played by Ava Gardner. Solid, engaging, and very well told, it's a step above on nearly every level. ***1/2