The Killers (1946; dir: Robert Siodmak)

I run across a new film noir almost daily on Facebook. Someone in the film noir group will write a post about a particular film noir, and then seomeone else in the comments will post a link to the film. Consequently, I watch a new film noir quite often these days. I love watching these shows. The black-and-white, the light and shoadows, the urban scenes, the femme fatales, they all make for a delightful viewing experience.

Yesterday I watched "The Killers", starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner. An ex-boxer gets murdered execution-style, and an insurance investigator sets out to find the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. He continues to follow the trail and attempt to unravel the mystery behind the execution. As he talks with each witness, there is a flashback showing what the witness is describing. (Similar to the excellent TV series, "Cold Case", which is occasionally on TNT at night.)

What sets this movie apart from other film noirs is the very clever surprise ending. There is quite a nice twist at the end.