Gritty old noir, with strong story devices for its time (piecing the past together through memories and recitals, asynchronous narrative) and a great build up. Book-ended by a violent, menacing start and conclusion. The middle is fairly introspective, which gave it a great mood. No doubt influenced by Double Indemnity and Citizen Kane, as it uses similar concepts and themes from both and mixes them well. If nothing else, it's a text book noir, that is a fun watch.

Pretty wonderful noir. Superb performances, especially from O'Brien and Gardner, great photography and a really well constructed story. A few too many flashbacks but they're well integrated so it's not too much trouble.

Ava Gardner more than anything is the real star of this film, the most fatal(pardon the pun) of femme fatales I've seen yet. And you've gotta love that last salute from O'Brien, so out of place in a noir.

You may struggle to love the characters as they fly past in this plot driven affair, but you won't be bored. The narrative makes excellent use of its various perspectives, and unravels with an organic quality that feels less contrived than your average mystery. I also enjoyed the out of order timeline, bookended by the gritty nonchalance of the eponymous killers. Finally, Gardner is incredible her role, although she is unfortunately underused, and acts as a plot device rather than a character.

Good story and liked how it all slowly unraveled with those flashbacks. However I wasn't quite in the mood for it, so had a hard time concentrating. Kept forgetting the names and stuff

Starts off with an interesting mystery and throughout the movie more background and motivations are revealed, leading to a satisfying conclusion. Some scenes make nice use of shadow to create a moody atmosphere. Maybe not super memorable, but worth a watch for sure.

I don't know why the main guy is an insurance investigator rather than a PI or a cop. It seemed a little improbable for him to get to so involved over an insurance claim. O'Brien was kinda bland, too. But other than that, a good noir. The large cast means none of the actors really get a chance to impress, but the plot is interesting enough to compensate for that. Great use of music, especially when the eponymous killers are on screen, and Ava Gardner makes for a fantastic femme fatale.

Good film.

Incredible dialog for the first part of the movie and I wish the rest of the film kept the same tone. I want to be clear I'm not saying the rest is bad because it's very good, just the beginning is a little bit better. A sharp script, which borrows a bit from the masterpiece Double Indemnity, based on a great premise combined with a good cast, especially Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in breakthrough roles, make for a very entertaining film noir.

The first scenes, based on the short story, carry a terrifying sense of menace and pacing that the expanded back story, uncovered through an insurance investigation, fails to sustain. But the performances are good, and of course, it is all beautifully shot.

Merely okay. It's beautifully shot, but other than that I don't find it all that special. Edmond O'Brien is good, but Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner only get a few moments to really shine. The fractured flashback structure is an intriguing and novel way of unraveling the mystery, but there's a slight sluggishness and lack of tension to the proceedings. It's a fine movie, especially at the chilling start and the fatalistic end... it just doesn't rev my engine that much.

Tough and gritty noir film with a great performance from a young Burt Lancaster.

Watch for Ava Gardner. This is actually the film that launched her career. She steams up the screen. You can't look away. She & Burt Lancaster make quite a pair.

A decent noir, but not enough oomph for me.

Let me tell you boys, Ava Gardner is so damn good looking its ridiculous. Burt Lancaster is very convincing (and creepy), and the story is very interesting.