Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We think we’ve talked enough in the rest of our analyses about the cool "movies meets reality" thing going on in "The Killers." So we think we’ll just point out to you the fact that Max asks George if he goes to the movies and tells him he should go more often, which isn’t that interesting until you realize that George is the one who’s really operating on the principles of theatrical drama. Just look at the end of the text: "They’ll kill him," he explains, adding, "He must’ve got mixed up in something in Chicago." He goes on to speculate that Andreson "double-crossed somebody," since "that’s what they kill them for." Thanks, Mr. Mob Expert. If we didn’t know better, we’d think George was calling all these shots based on romantic notions of how the mob operates in classic film. Oh, wait…
(Of course, the irony in our even poking a little fun of George is that, in fact, that IS how the mob is operating in "The Killers." That’s the point: it’s a little ridiculous when a lunch counter employee whose only seen mobsters in movies or comic books can accurately explain the goings-on of real live Mafiosi.)