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The Killer Is Loose

  • 1956
  • Approved
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Joseph Cotten, Wendell Corey, Martha Crawford, and Rhonda Fleming in The Killer Is Loose (1956)
An unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.
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Film NoirSerial KillerCrimeDramaThriller

An unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.An unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.An unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.

  • Director
    • Budd Boetticher
  • Writers
    • Harold Medford
    • John Hawkins
    • Ward Hawkins
  • Stars
    • Joseph Cotten
    • Rhonda Fleming
    • Wendell Corey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    2.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Budd Boetticher
    • Writers
      • Harold Medford
      • John Hawkins
      • Ward Hawkins
    • Stars
      • Joseph Cotten
      • Rhonda Fleming
      • Wendell Corey
    • 59User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

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    Photos64

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    Top cast34

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    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • Detective Sam Wagner
    Rhonda Fleming
    Rhonda Fleming
    • Lila Wagner
    Wendell Corey
    Wendell Corey
    • Leon Poole
    Alan Hale Jr.
    Alan Hale Jr.
    • Denny
    • (as Alan Hale)
    Michael Pate
    Michael Pate
    • Detective Chris Gillespie
    John Larch
    John Larch
    • Otto Flanders
    Dee J. Thompson
    • Grace Flanders
    John Beradino
    John Beradino
    • Mac
    Virginia Christine
    Virginia Christine
    • Mary Gillespie
    Paul Bryar
    Paul Bryar
    • Greg Boyd
    Stanley Adams
    Stanley Adams
    • Honor Farm Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Bank Robber
    • (uncredited)
    Don Beddoe
    Don Beddoe
    • Mr. Freeman
    • (uncredited)
    Gail Bonney
    Gail Bonney
    • Mrs. Andrews
    • (uncredited)
    John Cliff
    John Cliff
    • Ed
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Collier
    Richard Collier
    • Assistant District Attorney
    • (uncredited)
    Martha Crawford
    • Doris Poole
    • (uncredited)
    Richard H. Cutting
    Richard H. Cutting
    • Judge
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Budd Boetticher
    • Writers
      • Harold Medford
      • John Hawkins
      • Ward Hawkins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews59

    6.62.7K
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    Featured reviews

    9mgmax

    Terrific, perverse unknown B noir

    Although Andrew Sarris italicized it in the list of Boetticher's films in The American Cinema (meaning he recognized it as one of the more notable films on the list), I've never run across any critical comment on this film. Nevertheless, it's a real discovery-- imagine Cape Fear with Wally Cox in the Mitchum role and you get some idea. Corey (who usually played stiff bureaucrats and cops himself) gets the role of his life as a mild-mannered clerk turned crook who becomes unhinged and escapes with the plan to kill the cop who sent him up. What's creepy about him is that, like Norman Bates, he never even raises his voice-- and like Norman Bates, eventually he winds up in a dress (oh, it seems logical enough as a disguise, but it introduces an unmistakable air of sexual confusion and perversity into the violent climax that catapults the film into Fullerian ranks of psychosexual luridness). And if you want to know what Brian dePalma's been trying to do all these years with movies like Blow Out and Snake Eyes, just watch how effortlessly Boetticher plays out the climax over walkie-talkies (a sequence to rival Touch of Evil).
    grahamclarke

    Skill and Economy

    Watching "A Killer is Loose" it's not hard to see how Budd Boetticher garnered a reputation as one of the top B movie directors. With the limited resources allotted to the makers of B movies, not to mention the casting of often second rate actors, a lot of skill went into creating the few B movies which have endured.

    Boetticher gets good performances from leads Joseph Cotton and Wendell Corey (not strictly B movie actors) as well a surprisingly convincing Rhonda Fleming. The work of veteran cinematographer Lucien Ballard contributes much to the success of this taut, well written thriller.

    While not a classic, its remains a fine example of its genre and worth a look.
    7declancooley

    Superior well-acted doom-laden B-movie with slight shades of Hitchcock - and a creepy subtle villain.

    Two twists change this movie from what you expect to something else completely. In fact, the title doesn't even seem to match the plot, until those twists transpire. Then it hits its stride with a sense of lingering dread hanging over the proceedings, even when the antagonist is not on screen; actually it seems their absence simply serves to ramp up the tension - such is the skill with which this is directed and shot. Rhonda Fleming gives her usual slightly overwrought performance but it works for this movie as she senses the dangers others around her don't . Surprisingly, many scenes are written in far more depth and are acted with way more seriousness and earnestness (by Joseph Cotten and Wendell Corey) than they have any right to be in just a B-movie - but it works to add depth and empathy. Even the "killer" is not two-dimensional but seems plagued by doubts and confusion - all the while being quietly menacing, disturbing, and on the edge of an outburst of violence at any moment. There are touches of pathos, taut high-wire tension, intrigue and action - with at least one very memorable scene that still flashes in my mind - that make this a very worthy watch. Fans of Hitchcock will also enjoy the hints of perversion and cynicism - and some other key elements which that particular auteur would find appealing. A minor gem.
    Michael_Elliott

    Strong Film

    Killer is Loose, The (1956)

    *** 1/2 (out of 4)

    Budd Boetticher directed this highly intense police drama, which certainly deserves to be better known than it is. In the film, a bank robber (Wendell Corey) gets away from the scene of the crime but a detective (Joseph Cotten) tracks him down to his apartment. When the detective breaks the door in he accidentally kills the man's wife (Rhonda Fleming). The robber is eventually sent to prison but he escapes and plans his revenge by killing the detective's wife. There are plenty of twists and turns in this little gem that contains a huge amount of suspense and some terrific direction by Boetticher. This was the first film I've seen from the director but I'll certainly be seeking more out. Cotton is very good in his role as is Fleming but the film belongs to Corey as the deranged psychopath. He gives a wonderfully creepy performance and really adds a lot to the film. The start of the film in the apartment is wonderfully done but it's the ending that really packs a terrific punch. Hopefully this thing will hit DVD at some point.
    6blanche-2

    A Budd Boetticher B

    "The Killer is Loose" is a 1956 B film directed by Budd Boetticher, and it's pretty good. It stars Wendell Corey as Leon Poole, a man who is working in a bank when a robbery occurs. It doesn't take long for the police to determine that he's the inside man. They go to his house to arrest him, and he refuses to answer the door, shooting through it. The police break in, the lights are off, and Detective Wagner (Joseph Cotten) sees a form emerging from the bedroom and shoots, killing Poole's wife. When Poole is sentenced, he promises to pay Wagner back for killing her.

    I've never understood what happened to Joseph Cotten's career, but by the '50s, he was appearing in B movies after being part of so many important films in the '40s. He's good in this, as is the beautiful Rhonda Fleming, who plays his wife. Corey is excellent as Poole, a disturbed man with a flat affect; he never knew any happiness until he got married and goes crazy when his wife is taken from him.

    Good noir.

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    Related interests

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Film Noir
    Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en (1995)
    Serial Killer
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Baseball player turned actor John Beradino appears as Mac. He would go on to star as Dr. Hardy on General Hospital (1963). Beradino played Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Browns, the Cleveland Indians, and the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 seasons from 1939 to 1952 (interrupted for WWII service).
    • Goofs
      When Poole pulls the stolen Ford truck into the farmer's yard, crew members and lights are visible reflected in the side of the truck. As he moves away from the truck, the cameraman is seen moving along with him.
    • Quotes

      Detective Sam Wagner: Could've been worse, Poole.

      Leon Poole: It was worse, remember? I remember.

      Detective Chris Gillespie: Poole, we tried to explain.

      Leon Poole: Someday, Wagner, I'm gonna settle with you for it. I'm certainly gonna settle with you for it.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Trapped Ashes (2006)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 3, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Blutige Hände
    • Filming locations
      • W. Pico Blvd. and S. Roxbury Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA(opening shot of the movie shows the signs for these streets, location of the bank where Leon Poole worked, which was robbed by Poole's cohorts)
    • Production company
      • Crown Productions (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 13m(73 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White

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