Dressed To Kill - BRIAN DE PALMA'S MASTERPIECE.

[Danreiter]

I have seen this movie many times, and am always puzzled as to why so many people hate this movie and proclaim it to be nothing but Hitchcock with added sleazy trash and grizzly violence. I'm abhored because this movie is so BEAUTIFUL and it features Brian De Palma at his best.

The movie is about a depressed housewife named Kate Miller, who is unsatisfied by her husband's selfishness so under a moment of madness and vulnerability, she has an affair with a comfortable stranger. In the stranger's apartment, she learns she has an STD and immediately leaves the apartment only to be slashed to death in an elevator. Liz Blake, a high-priced call girl, witnesses the murder but unfortunately she is unable to persuade police that she is innocent after accidentally leaving fingerprints on the murder weapon. The fact that the murderer is a drag queen (but she doesn't know it) doesn't help out her case, either. The only person who knows that the murderer is a drag queen is Dr. Robert Elliot (Kate's psychiatrist), but he is unwilling to tell the police who the killer is because he "must protect the confidentiality of his patients." So Liz Blake and Peter Miller (Kate's son) decide to find out who the killer is on their own, but they are in for a pleasant surprise...

This movie is perfect in all areas:

Acting: ANGIE DICKINSON plays Kate Miller the woman who meets her fate in an elevator. Some call this role "The role of Angie Dickinson's career" and I must say that they aren't far off. Angie brings me through everything with her character: her sadness, her anger, frustration, her pleasure, and her emotional struggle to find her sexuality. Her lines are limited so she pulls off all of that just with manner and expression, and of course those big beautiful eyes.
Michael Caine plays his psychiatrist character to a T... a T-strap pump, that is.
Nancy Allen plays a hooker (surprise) but she actually had a big part and I must say that she played her role incredibly well.
Dennis Franz does what he does best... the cop with an attitude.
Keith Gordon in the role of Kate's son does a good job too.
All of these actors did incredibly well but the real star here is ANGIE DICKINSON. Nobody could've pulled off that role the way she did.

Gore: Yes - especially during the elevator scene. Get the unrated version, it is more disturbing.

T & A: PLENTY - During the shower scenes the T & A was essential and De Palma didn't use nudity in a perverse way - he actually made it artful.

Directing: And here I am to let out all my praise to Brian De Palma for making such a beautiful film. The camera movements, lighting, and De Palma's ability to tell a stoy with no dialogue is definitely displayed in DRESSED TO KILL. Who else, but De Palma could make a scene last for 20 minutes without dialogue, and yet make you smile and tingly inside, make you on the edge of your seat, make you cry, and then make you Disgusted by seeing the end of a life put on screen like never before. De Palma's films are operatic and DRESSED TO KILL is his grandest of operas!!!

Soundtrack: The most beautiful score ever put to a film. It's as much a character to the film as Angie Dickinson is.

Side notes: Despite what you may have heard of this movie, give it a chance. Witness a movie that OUT-HITCHES HITCHCOCK. Also, if you can, get the unrated version... It's more effective.

[Fergus]

I agree, Dressed to Kill is one of DePalma's best. Hundred times better than Snake Eyes(One of his worst), but not as good as The Untouchables (His Best). The Untouchables is his best because, it is an absolute perfect movie. The story is very strong, the acting flawless(including Costner), with action and suspense to spare. A little better than DTK, but not much. That's how close they are.

[Philip Marlowe]

Brian de palma's made lots of great movies and I don't consider Snake Eyes to be that bad of a movie all around. It has great cinematography by Stephen h.Burum good atmosphere well edited and nick is fine. The big problem with the film is it's end its so weak it hurts the rest of the movie so much.
As for Dressed to kill I agree with you it's a great film but, He's done so many great films like ,obsession,scarface,blow out,the untouchables,carlito's way that this movie has gotten lost .for his best movie all around and my favorite I would pick Blow Out.

[neo]

Dressed to kill is just another brilliant de palma film.the movie is very tense and has some good music.I like all his movies and even snake eyes is good.the beginning of the film is the best,but the film stays good.i like the conspiracy shit.only the end is a little bit weak.nicolas cage is acting good and sinise is ok.dressed to kill gets 8/10
snake eyes 7/10

[The Professional]

Out of all of Brian De Palma thrillers, i would have to say this falls somewhere in the middle. it is really ripping off psycho alot. I'd Have to say that brian de palmas masterpiece has to be the great blow out or carlito's way.

DePalma Films:

Carrie: 7/10
The Fury: 8/10
Dressed To Kill: 7/10
Blow Out: 10/10
Scarface: 8/10
Body Double:7.5/10
The Untouchables: 8/10
Casualties Of War: 9/10
Carlito's Way: 10/10
Mission Impossible:6/10
Snake Eyes: 4/10
Mission To Mars: 2/10
Raising Cain:?
Sisters:?
Wiseguys:?
Obsession:?

[Danreiter]

In my opinion, I really don't see how this film rips off PSYCHO at all.... The acting, the story, and the directing are soooooooo DIFFERENT that it's just hard to believe that people see a similarity between DTK and PSYCHO... I see one similarity - the killer is a man in drag, but I must point out that in PSYCHO, you didn't know it was a man in drag.

[JasonSlasher]

There are some similarities between this and psycho, although they're not as apparent unless you really think about it. Here are some reasons:

PSYCHO: Marion Crane, who we think is the main character, (and is for the first 30 or so minutes of the film) is surprisingly murdered half-way in.
DRESSED TO KILL: Kate Miller, who we think is the main character, (and is for the firtst 30 minutes of the film) is surprisingly murdered half-way in.

PSYCHO: In the shower scene, a violin theme is played.
DRESSED TO KILL: In the elevator scene, a theme similar to that is played.

PSYCHO: A new female lead is introduced immediately after Marion is killed.
DRESSED TO KILL: A new female lead is introduced immediately after Kate is killed.

PSYCHO: Marion is depressed from the way her life is going and seeks a new life, which eventually leads to her death.
DRESSED TO KILL: Kate is depressed in the way her life (sexuality-wise) is going, and she seeks a new life (has an affair), which leads to her death.

PSYCHO: Killer is dressed in drag (yes, we do see the killer dressed in women's clothes before we know that it's Norman)
DRESSED TO KILL: Killer is dressed in drag (and it's not completely apparent that the killer's not an actual female at first, just like in PSYCHO)

Also, the close confines of the shower and of the elevator are similar and both have shocking endings revealing the killer.

I still like Dressed To Kill, and I don't think that the similarities strain the effect or credibility at all, I just thought that I'd point them out.

[This message has been edited by JasonSlasher (edited 02-12-2002).]

[Danreiter]

PSYCHO: Marion in a moment of madness commits a felony.
DRESSED TO KILL: Kate plans ahead of time to have an affair.

PSYCHO: Marion decides to take the punsihment for her crime and go back to Phoenix.
DRESSED TO KILL: Kate wants to continue her "crime" but is forced not to because of the threat of V.D.

PSYCHO: Norman Bates is a hermit hiding from the world, or trying to.
DRESSED TO KILL: Dr. Elliott is a social psychiatrist. The exact opposite of Norman Bates.

PSYCHO: The revelation is truly a "revelation." The audience truly believes that the Mother is the murderer.
DRESSED TO KILL: Immediately after the murder, we know that the villain is a man in drag.

HUGE DIFFERENCES:

-The murder in Dressed To Kill, involves the participation of a witness - Liz Blake.

-Dressed To Kill involves dream sequences.

-The detective is not killed off in Dressed To Kill

-There is a police woman following the secondary female character.

The list goes on...

One silmilarity is: The two female leads are killed off early but we are given almost twenty minutes longer to identify with Marion Crane than we are with Kate Miller so that in itself is a BIG difference. As far as the directing goes... DRESSED TO KILL is by far, more cinematic than PSYCHO for there is very little dialogue in the whole movie and whatever dialogue there is is casual and used to enhance the plot when necessary. PSYCHO is full of long dialogue scenes (The parlor scene, the interrogation scene, the talks between norman and his mother, and my god, so many other scenes. I really dont understand why Hitchcock called this movie a cinematic movie when the only scenes of visual storytelling is the ending right before the revelation and maybe, the shower clean-up)

[Cyclonus]

It's a good film, but only because of DePalma's techniques. From a plot standpoint, the film is preposterous. It's a triumph of form over content.

(PS: I know this isn't the "extended review" you've come to expect from me but it's running late, soon, okay? )

[This message has been edited by Cyclonus (edited 02-18-2002).]

[JasonSlasher]

I think the main similarity that most people relate between the movies is the nearly identical mental problems.

SPOILERS

Norman bates has a woman alter ego (his mother) who comes out whenever he's aroused to kill whoever hes aroused by.

The doctor here has a woman alter ego who comes out whenever he's aroused to kill whoever he's aroused by.

And I don't think just because a movie is driven more by dialogue it shouldn't be a "cinematic movie". I think that Psycho is far superior to DRESSED TO KILL, and that having more dialogue just goes further into the "style over substance" thing that DRESSED TO KILL is known for (I've heard it mentioned a lot). No dialogue can be an artistic thing, and that is what DRESSED TO KILL is about. But I think it works for PSYCHO, because, in my opinion, it is a much deeper film, with more likable characters. You can't compare many movies with Psycho, least of all one that is like a modern-day remake (from a director known to be a Hitchcock imitator, not that that's a bad thing.)

But that's just my 2 cents.

[Danreiter]

That's your opinion and its fine. I LOVE PSYCHO too and its better than just about every movie I know (of all genres.) But when you say that it's so much "deeper" than Dressed To Kill then its very obvious that you don''t really know much about Dressed To Kill. I felt very much for Angie Dickinson. The beginning of the movie is all about her and its emotionally draining. I felt almost nothing for Marion Crane. Not a damn thing until she decided to go back to Phoenix to face her problems. The whole beginning of Psycho is only suspenseful because of the policeman. Hitchcock had to bring in an extra person to cause the suspense. In the beginning of Dressed To Kill there are so many suspenseful moments (The shower dream, The museum chase, the taxi ride, the call in the apartment, the VD revelation) and it all revolved around Angie Dickinson and the fact that De Palma pulled this all off with minimal dialogue is astounding. Even afterwards, De Palma milks suspense out of every scene. To me, Dressed to Kill is superior in about every way to PSYCHO but I still love Psycho. And Dressed To Kill wouldn't have been possible without the ground broken by Psycho (The early death of a heroine.) But Im pretty sure the split-personality thing had been done before, even though Hitchcock made it into something shocking and horrifying, it doesn't mean he owns the concept.

[This message has been edited by Danreiter (edited 02-24-2002).]

[Cyclonus]

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Director: Brian DePalma

Cast: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz

Screenwriter: Brian DePalma

Producer: George Litto

A Filmways Pictures release.





DePalma's infamous Dressed to Kill is a triumph of film technique over content. When one looks at the story in a dispassionate manner, it's obvious how absurd everything is. Yet, it works better than it has any right to, due to directorial flair. The legendary elevator scene is still potent after more than twenty years. Employing slow motion, close-ups, and careful editing, what could have been a standard "slasher" scene is transformed into a tour de force of terror. This segment alone is worth the price of admission, and actually rivals the shower scene from Hitchcock's Psycho.

Also of notice is the sequence of events leading up to the killing. The museum chase, in which Dickinson pursues a handsome stranger, is pure visual cinema, telling the story with little dialouge. I also admired the use of split-screen in certain scenes. It's a sorely underused device in modern cinema; this film reminds us that movies are a visual medium, despite their literary roots.

From an acting standpoint, both Dickinson and Allen are solid as flawed but strong women who evoke our sympathy, although we might not approve of their actions. Caine is good as a psychologist who may be hiding one of his patients, responsible for the murder. However, Gordon's nerdy character is unconvincing, and Franz's Detective Marino is little more than a shallow caricature.

It is impossible to discuss the film without recalling the intense controversity that met its original release. Vilified by feminist groups, DePalma has often been accussed of being a misogynist. I must question the validy of this argument. If that were the case, I think he would have made his female characters weak and submissive; objects of scorn. Finally, I tend to agree with internet critic James Kendrick, who argues that the material was never intended to be taken seriously--although too many people did just that.

Judging it purely based on craftmanship, Dressed to Kill is not a masterpiece. It's unevenly paced, and the dialouge could have used some tweaking. Still, there are enough good moments to make it worthwhile.

7/10




[This message has been edited by Cyclonus (edited 03-25-2002).]

[Danreiter]

good review, Cyclonus. I agree with most of it (aside from the no content thing). This a very special movie to me. Mostly because of the visual directing and the sheer terror of the elevator murder.

[Cyclonus]

I've been wondering: do you guys think I'm doing a good job with my recent reviews? Keep in mind that I write them on the assumption that the reader is familiar with the film.

[JasonSlasher]

Okay, let me set this record straight. Here are two short reviews for PSYCHO and DRESSED TO KILL.

PSYCHO: 10/10
Great directing and music. For a while, I couldn't get to like Marion Crane, but after a little, I began to understand her character. It's after her untimely fate that everything kicks in. The acting is SPECTACULAR. Anthony Perkins is one of my favorite actors and I never once thought that he was acting. I felt sympathy for his charming, but tragically lonely character. It has a great, climactic ending that will never leave my head and one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Hitchcock is a genius. The dialouge is creepy and well written. The ending IMO is deep and creepy, although I wish that they would have found a less obvious way to explain everything. Overall, a masterpeice.

DRESSED TO KILL: 7/10

The beginning to this movie had me. I was sucked in and completely absorbed by the acting, brilliant directing, and mood. This movie is all about atmosphere, and is filled with beautiful imagery. Kate was a tragic, lonely character, and she had my sympathy. The STD revelation was suspenceful, and the following elevator scene was a very sad, brutal, and scary scene. And then the next female character they introduce is pretty, interesting, and innocent. But after the psychiatrist's telephone message, the movie didn't live up to it's 1rst half hour. The killer got 0 sympathy from me and was harhly underdeveloped. It had a good ending at first, but then just didn't know when to stop and eventually just became confusing. After the killer's unmasking, everything went down hill. A good horror movie, but has it's share of flaws (I didn't mind it being so closely related to Psycho).

So they are both good movies, but Psycho will always remain my favorite. I still respect everyone else's opinions on this movie. Unlike many things in life, we are all entitled to that.