"The Killers" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1927 and later republished in Men Without Women, Snows of Kilimanjaro, and The Nick Adams Stories. Set in 1920s Summit, Illinois, the story follows recurring Hemingway character Nick Adams as he has a run-in with a pair of hitmen, who are seeking to kill a boxer, in a local restaurant. Historians have some documents showing that the working title of the piece was "The Matadors". Hemingway received $200 (equivalent to $3,707 in 2025) for the story, and told F. Scott Fitzgerald he submitted it solely "to see what the alibi would be" should it be rejected.
Adaptations (2)
The Killers has been adapted into 2 films, from 1946 to 1964.
The Killers1946 · film · 103 min · dir. Robert Siodmak · IMDb ↗IMDb7.7100%Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.
The Killers1964 · film · 93 min · dir. Don Siegel · IMDb ↗A hit man and his partner try to find out why their latest victim, a former race-car driver, did not try to get away.
