Dark Pictures Project

Born to Kill is not so much about the evil within all of us, but the moral consequences of what happens when you let it overrun you. By the time the film starts, the two main characters are so overrun by their own darkness, greed and desire that from the get go there is no hope for them. There is however a sense that deep down inside, there might actually be some good in Helen (Claire Trevor), or perhaps that is all because she has worked so hard to conceal the corruption of her soul. She is more focused on survival than Sam, whose strength and violence, which is enough to get him what he wants. She has bigger ambitions and realizes that crime is not the way to achieve her goals.

The moral implications of the film, and their interaction are interesting enough to sustain this film. Both leads are magnetic and have intense sexual energy. However, the cinematography and overall development of the film is lacking. Compared in particular to Robert Wise’s later noir, The Set-Up, this film is rather flat aesthetically. Only in the first twenty minutes when the pivotal murders take place that the visuals and audio are truly compelling. The rest of the film veers off, although the quality of the editing remains consistent.