Director Don Siegel's 1964 version of 'The Killers' does a significant rework of the 1946 Robert Sidomak version and all but omits any cary over from the 1927 short story by Ernest Hemingway. The original story was very specifically set in Illinois, the 46 version moves the action to Pennsylvania/ New Jersey and the 64 take roams from Florida to California. Our leads now John Cassavettes, the Scandinavian angle is dropped and he's a racecar driver rather then a boxer. The shadowy noir look is gone, this is brightly lit and in color.
Originally intended as the first TV movie, NBC passed deaming it too violent, the honor of first TV movie went to something called 'See How They Run', which appears to be a thriller, stars John Forsythe and features future 'Naked Gun' co-stars Leslie Neilson amd George Kennedy.
'The Killers' has Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager as the titular killers, Angie Dickinson as the femme fatal and TV's Mr. Roper as another badie. Of particular note is Ronald Reagan in his last feature film role, its also the first (and obviously only) time he played a bad guy on screen (politics not withstanding). Like John Wayne and Edward G. Robinson, Reagan gets to die on screen in his final role.
This is a solid, exciting picture that punches above its pay grade and while not as good as the 46 version it's still more then watchable and has a couple of solid action sequences. A high perctange of lead characters die so I get why NBC passed at the time, JFK having been killed while the film was in production, this has multiple gun deaths, including by sharp shooter, and probably wouldn't have played well as prime time family viewing. ***
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