The Killers

In 1927, the great American writer Ernest Hemingway sold a short story he wrote entitled The Killers to Scribner's Magazine.  It was about two professionals who come to a small town to murder an ex-pugilist named Ole.  They expected to find him at a diner he frequented, but he didn't show.  They leave and look for Ole.  A friend who was at the diner runs to his boarding house.  Ole stoically receives the news of his impending assassination.

In 1946, Mark Hellinger (The Naked City post) produced the movie version of The Killers.  It was directed by Robert Siodmak.  The wonderful music was composed by Miklos Rozsa.  

The first twelve minutes, forty seconds of the movie version of The Killers is an adaptation of Hemingway's short story.  The remainder is the creation of the writer Anthony Veiller, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, but lost to Robert Sherwood for The Best Years of Our Lives.

Al (Charles McGraw) and Max (William Conrad) enter Henry's Diner in Brentwood, New Jersey just before 6 PM, but from separate entrances.  They sit together at the counter and order sandwiches.  They talk to George (Harry Hayden), the counterman, and Nick (Phil Brown), a customer, in a threatening manner.  Finally, they show their true colors and announce they are there to kill the Swede, who is expected to arrive shortly.

While Al ties up Nick and Sam (Bill Walker), the cook, in the kitchen, Max watches over George in the front of the diner.  But, why kill the Swede asks George?  What had he done to them?  

"He never had a chance to do anything to us.  He never even seen us."  

"Why you gonna kill him for?"

I love the next line delivered by Max which was written by Hemingway.

"We're killing him for a friend."

George then convinces Al and Max that since the Swede hadn't arrived by 6 PM, he wouldn't come.  That was his routine.  The two killers leave the diner to look for their victim.  

George tells Nick to go to the Swede's boarding house to alert him of his approaching doom.  When he arrives, the Swede (Burt Lancaster in his first movie) is lying on his bed in a sleeveless undershirt and pants.  He receives the news soberly.  When Nick asks why they want to kill him, the Swede responds with one of my favorite movie lines (which was not written by Hemingway).

"I did something wrong...once."

Nick leaves feeling helpless.  Shortly after, Al and Max arrive and do their job efficiently.  Hemingway loved what they did with his short story.