Fear and Desire is a character drama centered on a group of soldiers stuck 6 miles deep into enemy lines. They try to negotiate a route out while contending with obstacles in their way. It is just over an hour and based on their trauma and destruction.
The acting in it is pretty atrocious and the only Kubrick moments come in the cinematography. When one of the soldiers snaps and shoots a woman he immediately jumps up to an 11 on the unhinged-ometer, and the climactic boat scene later is uneven because we're not sure what's happening. By far the best moment is when our troupe attacks enemies in a house eating stew, that's a tense and creepy 10 minutes. The rest is meh and boring.
Killer's Kiss is another character based drama. We follow down and dirty boxer Davey as he relays a story of what happened to him. He has a thing for the girl next door and gets involved in her life. She is the target of low-life Vincent, who is abusing her. Davey is mixed up in this, so soon enough he is a target himself.
Killer's Kiss a film noir, and way ahead of it's time. It is dark, mysterious, and desperate, with a attitude of nihilism and dread. The climactic fight scene in the end is true insanity, a faceoff in a mannequin factory. That scene in itself is so different from a lot of typical 50s dramas, it's tense and quickly paced, with a huge fight and a lot of action. The studio demanded a happy ending, but we have to think without that, this movie would be a real downer. The great cinematography and editing in the movie is a highlight, all done by Kubrick, and the film certainly feels like it has a unique and clear voice.
A while ago I watched his film The Killer, and this trilogy of early Kubrick is interesting in retrospect. They're all showing a master coming of age and defining his craft, and each one has their moment to shine. The moments just get bigger and bigger as time passes, so thankful for that. Fear and Desire is a 1.5 star with the worst acting in a Kubrick film, and Killer's Kiss is a genuine 4 star excellent film noir.
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