Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Burt Lancaster" in English language version.
The film established Lancaster as a major talent, and it helped launch Gardner as one of the screen's legendary sex symbols. ...The film is regarded as one of the top crime sagas of 1940s cinema
Its first screen incarnation came in 1946, when director Robert Siodmak unleashed The Killers, helping to define the film noir style and launching the careers of Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in this archetypal masterpiece