Don Siegel’s THE KILLERS (1963) Arrow Films Blu-ray coming 24th February 2014.

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO KILL A MAN…

 killkill2

Starring: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes.
“I gotta find out what makes a man decide not to run. Why all of a sudden he’d rather die.”

So muses hitman Charlie (Lee Marvin) after his high-priced victim Johnny North (John Cassavetes) gives in without a fight. Obsessed with the answer, Charlie and his hot-headed associate Lee (Clu Gulager) track down Johnny’s associates, and uncover a complex web of crime and deceit involving his femme fatale girlfriend Sheila (Angie Dickinson) and ruthless mob boss Jack Browning (Ronald Reagan in his last screen role).

kill1

Loosely inspired by the Ernest Hemingway story, and directed by Don Siegel (whose many other taut, efficient thrillers include Dirty Harry and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers), The Killers was commissioned as the very first ‘TV movie’, but was given a cinema release because of its violence – although a cast like that really belonged on the big screen in the first place.

SPECIAL FEATURES: High Definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures, presented in alternative “television” and “cinema” aspect ratios/ Original uncompressed 2.0 mono PCM audio / Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired / Reagan Kills: interview with New York Times bestselling writer Marc Eliot, author of ‘Ronald Reagan: The Hollywood Years’ / Screen Killer: interview with Dwayne Epstein, author of ‘Lee Marvin: Point Blank’ / Archive interview with Don Siegel (1984) from the French television series ‘Cinéma Cinémas’ / Gallery of rare behind-the-scenes images / Reversible sleeve featuring the original poster and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh / Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mike Sutton, extracts from Don Siegel’s autobiography and contemporary reviews, illustrated with original lobby cards.