The Killers

Perhaps Hemingway's most famous short story which he wrote almost entirely in dialogue form, the Killers goes to the essence of his lean, muscular style, helping establish him as a new force in literature and ultimately leading to his Nobel Prize. Perfectly capturing this essence in theatrical form, Harnetiaux's brilliant adaptation begins, as does the story, in the small town lunchroom where young Nick Adams visits with counterman George while Sam is cooking in the back. The arrival of what are in fact two professional killers hired to murder a has-been prize fighter, Ole Anderson, who regularly eats dinner here begins with casual small talk that takes on an edge. Then, as the shocked young man is caught up in it, the horror of what will happen begins to emerge. This is Hemingway's classic story of initiation, as Nick Adams discovers evil. Woven between the lines of this taut and deceptively simple drama is a study of how each of us must come to terms with reality.