Killer's Kiss

Killer's Kiss (1955) is Stanley Kubrick's early crime noir, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Washed-up boxer Davey Gordon steps in to help a dancer who lives across the courtyard, and that small act drags him into a feud with her boss.

Davey's career is almost over; a few more lost bouts and he's leaving New York for relatives out west. Gloria works in a cheap dance hall whose owner, Vincent Rapallo, treats her as his property. When Davey and Gloria decide to skip town together, Rapallo sends his men, snatches her off the street, and the boxer has to hunt for her through the grimiest corners of the city. Frank Silvera plays Rapallo, Irene Kane is Gloria, and Jamie Smith plays Davey.

This was only Kubrick's second feature, made on a tiny budget in the real streets of Manhattan, with the director lighting and operating the camera himself. Sixty-seven minutes, a climax among mannequins in a warehouse, restless night-time angles — the future maker of The Shining is already visible here. Stream Killer's Kiss (1955) online on iFILM.