The Killing, 1956

In my mind Sterling Hayden was the perfect noir hero - equal parts tough and vulnerable - and this movie fires up all the nerve endings in my brain that make me partial to crime thrillers. Stanley Kubrick made more "accomplished" pictures later, some polished so shiny and perfect it's hard to look at them directly or even stay awake while watching them, but here he spins out a grimey little yarn about a race track robbery with minimal '50s psychobabble and maximum excitement. I like "Dr. Strangelove" and "Paths of Glory" more, but when I hear the name Stanley Kubrick this is the first picture that pops in my head. Sterling Hayden's look at the end is priceless.

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