Character Relationship Map: The Killers

Characters

• 'Swede' Andersen (played by Burt Lancaster) — protagonist

  A former boxer and gas station attendant known as the Swede. Haunted by a failed boxing career and a life of crime, he is murdered by professional hitmen. Flashbacks reveal he was double-crossed by hi...

• Kitty Collins (played by Ava Gardner) — supporting

  A glamorous and manipulative woman who becomes the Swede's lover and later allies with crime boss Big Jim Colfax. She orchestrates a payroll robbery, steals the money, and double-crosses the Swede. La...

• Big Jim Colfax (played by Albert Dekker) — supporting

  A powerful crime boss posing as a successful building contractor. He masterminds a payroll robbery and maintains a secret marriage with Kitty Collins. He orders the Swede's murder to cover up their be...

• Lt. Sam Lubinsky (played by Sam Levene) — supporting

  A Philadelphia police lieutenant and childhood friend of the Swede. He assists the insurance investigator in piecing together the past, confronts Kitty over stolen jewelry, and later aids Riordan in e...

• Lilly Harmon Lubinsky (played by Virginia Christine) — supporting

  The Swede's plain but loyal former girlfriend. She eventually marries his childhood friend, Lieutenant Sam Lubinsky, and remains a steadfast figure in the Swede's past life before his descent into cri...

• Max (played by William Conrad) — minor
• 'Dum-Dum' Clarke (played by Jack Lambert) — supporting

  A gang member recruited for the Hackensack payroll robbery. After the safe house fire, he searches for the stolen money in the Swede's room. He later tracks down Big Jim Colfax and engages in a fatal...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Lt. Sam Lubinsky → Lilly Harmon Lubinsky (Family Spouses) — Lilly becomes Lubinsky's wife after the Swede leaves her.

  The plot states that Lubinsky marries Lilly.

• Lilly Harmon Lubinsky → 'Swede' Andersen (Romantic Former Girlfriend) — Lilly represents the Swede's earlier life before his criminal turn.

  Lilly is described as the Swede's loyal girlfriend before he leaves her for Kitty.

• Big Jim Colfax → 'Swede' Andersen (Power Crime Boss And Recruit) — Colfax first uses the Swede as a gang member, then arranges his killing.

  Colfax masterminds the payroll robbery that recruits the Swede, and later admits ordering the Swede's murder.

• Big Jim Colfax → Kitty Collins (Family Secret Spouses) — Their concealed marriage is part of the robbery's betrayal and cover-up.

  Colfax admits that he and Kitty were married.

• 'Swede' Andersen → Kitty Collins (Romantic Lovers) — Their relationship draws the Swede deeper into crime and betrayal.

  The Swede leaves Lilly for Kitty, and the plot describes Kitty as his lover.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Max → Kitty Collins (Narrative Hired Enforcer) — Max is part of the killing operation tied to the gang's effort to conceal its betrayal.

  Max arrives with Al to kill the Swede, and Kitty's betrayal is connected to the murder contract that Colfax later admits arranging.

• Max → 'Swede' Andersen (Conflict Contract Killer And Victim) — Max participates in the hired killing that opens the investigation.

  Max arrives with Al to kill the Swede, who is later shot dead in his room.

• 'Dum-Dum' Clarke → 'Swede' Andersen (Alliance Robbery Gang Members) — They share a criminal operation, though the Swede later disappears with the money.

  Dum-Dum and the Swede are recruited for the same Hackensack payroll robbery.

• 'Dum-Dum' Clarke → Big Jim Colfax (Conflict Fatal Adversaries) — Their final confrontation ends with both men dying.

  Dum-Dum and Colfax mortally wound each other in a shootout at Colfax's mansion.

• Lt. Sam Lubinsky → Kitty Collins (Conflict Confronts Over Stolen Jewelry) — The incident exposes Kitty's criminal conduct and precedes the Swede's confession.

  Lubinsky catches Kitty wearing stolen jewelry, and she is confronted over it.

• Lt. Sam Lubinsky → 'Swede' Andersen (Social Childhood Friends) — Lubinsky remains a key source of information about the Swede's past.

  The plot identifies Lubinsky as the Swede's friend since childhood.

Story Analysis

An insurance investigation reconstructs how the Swede's criminal choices and Kitty's betrayals led to his murder and the gang's violent collapse.

Plot Progression

1. A Death Without Escape — The Swede is warned that killers are after him, yet he does not flee and is murdered. The investigation into his insurance policy begins to uncover his former identity and history.
2. From Boxing to Crime — Flashbacks trace the Swede's broken boxing career and his rejection of a police path. His relationships with Lilly and Kitty accompany his growing involvement with Colfax and his flight into prison.
3. The Robbery and Betrayal — After prison, the Swede joins Colfax's payroll robbery with Dum-Dum. Kitty's alignment with Colfax and the gang's secrecy lead the Swede to take the money, only for Kitty to disappear with it.
4. The Past Catches Up — Dum-Dum's search and the corrected safe-house timeline help unravel the old robbery. Kitty's attempted bargain, the nightclub attack, and the mansion shootout expose the final consequences of the doub...