Dressed to Kill

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Dressed to Kill

R

1980

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a prostitute, sees a mysterious woman brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), she finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police think Liz is the murderer, the real killer wants to silence the crime's only witness. Only Kate's inventor son, Peter (Keith Gordon), believes Liz. Peter and Liz team up to find the real culprit, who has an unexpected means of hiding her identity and an even more surprising motivation to kill.

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Critics Consensus

With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma's signature strengths.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/18/2023

De Palma shows the kind of restless intelligence which suggests that he will want to work in many different forms, and certainly he needs more chances to work on a larger scale... But he doesn’t have to move away from thrillers to prove he’s an artist.

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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

04/28/2018

Dressed To Kill is a nail-biting, seat-squirming, stylish murder mystery with a brain.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

09/26/2007

Originality has never been a high value in the genre-bound aesthetic of filmmaking, but De Palma cheapens what he steals.

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

Jul 2

4/5

An eyebrow-raising performance from Michael Caine keeps this clever shocker moving along nicely, and De Palma's brilliant sleight-of-hand direction pulls out all the suspense stops, providing some unforgettable jolts.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

09/11/2023

4/5

De Palma at the top of his game, with some masterfully edited and scored sequences that still hold up by modern standards.

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

09/06/2023

4/5

Exquisitely directed by DePalma and bearing the key signifiers of a prototypical Erotic Thriller, Dressed to Kill does contribute to the problematic depiction of trans women as killers, though it's not as influential as Psycho or The Silence of The Lambs

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Apr 10

It's more than a little absurd.

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Feb 23

This was a good little eighties classy thriller. It was quite gritty. It was certainly not smooth and slick. The camera work was fantastic. Nancy Allen was excellent in this, such a charismatic actress. The acting is brilliant. There were some amazingly well shot scenes. Some scenes felt slow and uneventful though. The exciting moments are well done. Nothing too scary sadly. Interesting story. I did enjoy this film although I don’t think that it is very special, somewhat forgettable?

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Andrew Reed M

@OscarReedThethird Jan 18

Very good thriller. It is full of late '70s style, which is fun, but the story transcends the era and is a nail biter. It's almost worth watch just to see what happens to the Michael Caine character.

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Farah R

@Farah Nov 28

Dressed to Kill isn't one of Brian De Palma's best storywise, but it showcases his distinctive visual style. The dazzling cinematography, use of split-screen and slow-motion were perfect for suspense-building sequences, especially the iconic elevator scene. While the plot twist was predictable, the film's stylish direction makes it a watchable thriller.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Oct 20

That opening scene though...

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Constantine N

@RT31933057 Sep 13

Cheesy, and the majority of scenes are drawn out and have little meaning towards the plot. For example, the art museum scene: why is 10 minutes spent on cat/mouse chasing, no words spoken... The director thinks the viewers are dense and tries to explain thoughts and emotions through what feels like endless scenes. The missing underwear. The missing ring. The cop on the subway. The young boy is supposed to be Inspector Gadget? with listening devices, cameras, and inventing a "new circuit"... all attempts to solve his mother's murder? It's almost a comedy how cringy some scenes are.

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Brian De Palma

Director

Michael Caine

Doctor Robert Elliott

Angie Dickinson

Kate Miller

Nancy Allen

Liz Blake

Keith Gordon

Peter Miller

Dennis Franz

Detective Marino

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Museum Encounter

4:24

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Seducing Dr. Elliott

2:16

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - You're Not a Psycho

2:10

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Subway Chase

2:43

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Watching Phil Donahue

2:11

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Transsexuality

2:37

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Murder on an Elevator

3:13

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Shower Nightmare

2:07

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Behind You!

1:46

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Synopsis

When Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a prostitute, sees a mysterious woman brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), she finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police think Liz is the murderer, the real killer wants to silence the crime's only witness. Only Kate's inventor son, Peter (Keith Gordon), believes Liz. Peter and Liz team up to find the real culprit, who has an unexpected means of hiding her identity and an even more surprising motivation to kill.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: George Litto
Screenwriter: Brian De Palma
Distributor: GoodTimes Home Video [us], Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Filmways Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)