Born to Kill
by Robert Wise
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Audrey Long, Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Phillip Terry, Walter SlezakDirector: Robert Wise
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Robert De Grasse
Editor: Les Millbrook
Producer: Herman Schlom
Producer: Sid Rogell
Writer: Eve Greene
Writer: James Gunn
Writer: Richard Macaulay
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-07-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Movie Reviews of Born to Kill
Movie Review: A brutally fun movie! This is what happens when two sociopaths collide!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is for the 2005 Warner Brothers DVD.
The story starts in Reno, Nevada where Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) receives a divorce. She goes home to a boarding house and overhears a young woman named Laury discussing her love life with an older, drunken woman named Mrs Kraft. At one point, Laury tells Mrs. Kraft that she is going out with a different man tonight simply to make her steady boyfriend Sam Wilde (Lawrence Tierney) jealous. Sam runs into the dating couple later that evening at a casino. Later that night Sam confronts Laury's date in the boardinghouse kitchen and a violent fight insues and Sam, in impressive fashion, kills the other man. Laury then comes in the kitchen and discovers the body and then Sam kills her. Shortly thereafter Helen returns home and finds the dead couple but for some reasons decides not to call the police and instead takes a train to San Francisco. Just by coincidence, Sam takes the same train and sits with her and this sets up a turbulent, yet fascinating relationship between the two for the rest of the movie.
I really enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. First, the beautiful Claire Trevor plays a morally bankrupt golddigger, but does it with such superficial charm and grace. Second, there are some other memorable performances by Walter Slezak who plays an articulate, but morally depraved detective and Elisha Cook Jr. does a fine job as Sam's pint-sized sidekick. But most of all, Lawrence Tierney does a great job as the quintessential tough guy who knows what he wants and brazenly goes after it. He clearly displays raw acting talent, but his dead cold stares and his overtly blunt directness, is what makes him so perfect for this role.
For those of you who are not familiar with Lawrence Tierney, in the early '90s he played the leader of a crime gang in the movie Reservoir Dogs. But another memorable role worth mentioning was that he once played Elaine's tough, no-nonsense father on an episode of Seinfeld. According the commentary on the Seinfield DVD, Tierney scared the cast so badly that they never had him back on. Apparently Tierney stole a butcher knife from Jerry's TV kitchen and hid it under his jacket. When Seinfeld asked him about it, Tierney pulled out the knife and started making the Psycho slashing-violins sound. On the Born to Kill commentary, director Robert Wise mentions that Tierney was an intimidating tough guy in real life and was repeatedly arrested for getting in fights in bars. In fact, Wise mentions that they used a stunt double for Tierney in the fight scene, not because they were afraid that Tierney would get hurt - far from it; they were afraid that he couldn't restrain himself once the fight scene started.
The picture quality is near-immaculate. Traces of film wear are virtually nonexistent. The sound is satisfactory. The DVD bonus features include commentary from noir expert and author Eddie Muller plus some audio sound bites from director Robert Wise.
PLEASE NOTE: Before buying this DVD, consider buying the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2 which contains this movie plus four other highly recommended movies at a very reasonable price.
Movie: A
DVD Quality: A
Summary of Born to Kill
"Born to Kill" now on DVD was a classic and some say achetypal Film Noir movie Directed by Robert Wise who would go on to direct several other movies in the Film Noir genre. The notable cast included Claire Trevor who did so many Film Noir features that she became known as the "Queen of Film Noir" and the controversial Lawrence Tierny whose extensive film career included "Reservoir Dogs". "Born to Kill" DVD Plotline: Helen Brent (played by Claire Trevor) knows Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierny) is more than a social climber who married her wealthy foster sister. He's a remorseless killer. And yet she finds his brash confidence square-shouldered good looks and constant aura of menace completely irresistible. Versatile director Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still The Sound of Music West Side Story) shows his film-noir chops with this dark gem whose mix of heiress sisters stone-hearted men needy hangers-on and inexplicable but inevitable love plays like a soap opera that refuses to wash itself clean. Walter Slezak portrays the verse-quoting shamus. And Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney portray the illicit lovers who play with fire - and burn their names forever into film-noir lore. But the "Born to Kill" DVD now and complete your Film Noir DVD collection!Running Time: 92 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 053939724622Similar DVD Movies
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