Review of Dressed to Kill (1980) by Adam C — 30 Aug 2006

Dressed to Kill is one of the quintessential thrillers of the 1980s. De Palma's ode to Hitchcock becomes completely successful and believable totally independent of whatever source material it was derived from.

Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is in a troubled marriage. She has no spark with her husband anymore, but she does have a genius son that she truly loves. To try to keep the marriage together, Kate goes to see a psychiatrist (Michael Caine) who, as most doctors do, suggests that she just talk out her problems with her husband. We, the viewers, know it won't be that simple, though. From the doctor's office, Kate goes to an art gallery, and engages in a flirty game of cat-and-mouse with a fellow observer. This sequence is classic De Palma, and it ends with the two strangers making love in the back of a taxi cab, and later at the man's apartment. Everything appears to be going swimmingly until Kate gets in the elevator to leave in the middle of the night. From this point the movie turns exquisitely violent, with a murder scene that will stay with you for quite a while (at least it did with me). After the murder has taken place, the viewer is left to decipher who the murderer is and what the motive was.

Just like all De Palma films, Dressed to Kill features some absolutely brilliant sequences (elevator, train station) dispersed throughout a rather clumsy plot. But hey, who cares right? You definitely enjoy the ride. Also, Dressed to Kill's ending is right up there with De Palma's best.