The Killers (1946)

Burt Lancaster's first movie is a master class in film noir.  I almost didn't watch it, though, because of Burt's first scene. His overacting reminded me of the protracted death scene played by Paul Reubens in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but without the humor. Yet I persevered and was rewarded with a bleak plot full of twists that kept me guessing until the very end and a femme fatale to lead them all in Ava Gardner (her first flick too!). What more could you want from a classic film noir? How did Burt Lancaster just become a movie star with his very first film? Wild.