Those are two of my Top Five Noir.
The Killing is a gateway Noir for many, with some of the best examples of particular Noir elements – the lighting, the woman, the cynicism – while toning down the melodrama, score and theatricality of Noir that hasn’t aged as well.
Interesting to come at Hayden starting near the end of his highlight reel. (His only noteworthy role after The Godfather is in the neo-noir The Long Goodbye.) I think most are introduced to him with Dr. Strangelove. If you want to see him shine in another Noir classic, check out John Huston’s heist classic The Asphalt Jungle (1950), and when you’re ready for a deeper cut, there’s Naked Alibi (1954) which will bring Gloria Grahame into your life. Marie Windsor never got as many showcase roles as she deserved, but she is unforgettable in The Narrow Margin (1952)
I like Pushover more than most because it’s some of the most swiss watch plotting I’ve ever seen, and I envy how well the dialogue crackles. The most – the only – unnecessary scene has a guy at a bar hitting on Novak and I wouldn’t want to lose a line. There’s also Dorothy Malone as the nurse in the apartment next door. She can do wonders with small parts like this, and this one is right up there with the book shop owner in The Big Sleep.
That’s a nice description of the difference between Novak here and Stanwyck in Indemnity. Because MacMurray is basically playing the same confident dope, this comes off like reheated leftovers to many. Indemnity and Maltese Falcon are the only Noir I rate higher. Kind of like how both versions of Cape Fear are in my Essentials.