The Killing is one of the best pieces of filmmaking; it's short and sweet, thrilling and chilling, and most importantly artistic and thought-provoking. The film creates a web of stories for us in the beginning and later ties them together, subsequently revealing the character's intentions. The psychology is what brings the thriller to life though. The film is intensely dependent on psychological motivation and manipulation other than stylized violence and likewise. The mixture of artistic psychological storytelling with the constant non-linear storytelling makes this a shining accomplishment for the then young Stanley Kubrick.
Review of The Killing
