MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Killer Is Loose

The Killer Is Loose

1956 · 73 min

A taut, noirish cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you on edge with its quiet menace and sudden violence.

Tagline
He was no ordinary killer... She was no ordinary victim... This is no ordinary motion picture!
Overview
A savings-and-loan bank is robbed; later, a police wiretap identifies meek bank teller Leon Poole as the inside man. In capturing him, detective Sam Wagner accidentally kills Poole's young wife, and at his trial Poole swears vengeance against Wagner. Poole begins his plans to get revenge when he escapes his captors.

Search YouTube for the trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • revenge
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • betrayal
  • guilt
Places
  • big city
  • suburbs
  • countryside
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror3
Humour1
Realism7
Romance2
Tension8
Darkness7
Complexity4
Emotional weight6

More like this

Titles like The Killer Is Loose

Movie

Heat

1995

A cool, controlled crime epic that builds tension through meticulous detail and quiet character moments, culminating in explosive set pieces and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Tense, dark · about obsession and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
170 min
Details In your watch list
HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Collision Course

2026

A tense, talky heist that turns inward after the crash, letting suspicion and old lies do the damage.

Tense, dark · about betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
122 min
Details In your watch list
Collision CourseHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Rear Window

1954

A voyeuristic slow-burn that tightens like a vise, letting you share the hero's helpless suspense and guilty thrill.

Tense, dark · about obsession and isolation · single location

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details In your watch list
Rear WindowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

He Ran All the Way

1951

A tense, claustrophobic hostage drama that tightens like a vise, with noir shadows and raw desperation.

Tense, dark, brisk · about isolation and betrayal · single location

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • isolation
  • betrayal
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
77 min
Details In your watch list
He Ran All the WayHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Point Blank

1967

A cold, disorienting neo-noir that feels like a fever dream of revenge, with a stoic antihero and a fragmented timeline that demands close attention.

Tense, dark · about revenge and obsession

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • revenge
  • obsession
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
92 min
Details In your watch list
Point BlankHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Pushover

1954

A sleek, shadowy noir that tightens like a wire, drawing you into a slow, doomed spiral of desire and betrayal.

Tense, dark · about obsession and betrayal · single location

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • betrayal
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
88 min
Details In your watch list
PushoverHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

High and Low

1963

A slow-burning moral thriller that moves from a tense domestic standoff to a meticulous police procedural, ending on a haunting note of class resentment.

Tense, dark · about obsession

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
142 min
Details In your watch list
High and LowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Killing

1956

A taut, fatalistic heist thriller that tightens like a noose, its clockwork plot and doomed characters leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Same cinematographer: Lucien Ballard · Tense, dark, brisk · about betrayal

Also
Same cinematographer: Lucien Ballard
Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • betrayal
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details In your watch list
The KillingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

To Live and Die in L.A.

1985

A gritty, propulsive neo-noir that immerses you in a morally bankrupt Los Angeles, with visceral chases and a cold, cynical edge.

Tense, dark, brisk · about revenge and obsession

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • revenge
  • obsession
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
116 min
Details In your watch list
To Live and Die in L.A.Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Drive

2011

A stylish, brooding neo-noir that blends tender romance with shocking bursts of violence, demanding your full attention.

Tense, dark · about isolation and betrayal

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • isolation
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
100 min
Details In your watch list
DriveHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Psycho

1960

A slow-building, unsettling experience that tightens its grip with eerie atmosphere and a shocking twist.

Tense, dark · about isolation and guilt · single location

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • isolation
  • guilt
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
109 min
Details In your watch list
PsychoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

7 Men from Now

1956

A lean, quietly tense Western that moves with steady purpose, its melancholy undertow and moral shadows lingering after the ride.

Same director: Budd Boetticher · Tense · about revenge and betrayal

Also
Same director: Budd Boetticher
Via
  • tense
  • revenge
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
78 min
Details In your watch list
7 Men from NowHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, thriller
Directed by
Budd Boetticher
Written by
Harold Medford
Starring
Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey, Alan Hale Jr., Michael Pate, John Larch, Dee J. Thompson, John Beradino
Music
Lionel Newman
Cinematography
Lucien Ballard
Runtime
73 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata