Review of Kiss Me Deadly (1955) by Daniel K — 20 Jul 2011

4: I can definitely see why the film failed to merit a NY Times review upon its release. However, there are probably few films released in 1955 that would be held in higher esteem by the current crop of NY Times film critics.

It is brutal, rebellious, sleazy, and crass. The antihero, Mike Hammer, isn't a particularly bright detective and he runs rampant over everyone and everything in his path dealing out what he deems to be justice with his fists (mostly).

The photography and framing is often remarkable, and reminds me of films like The Third Man and Citizen Kane at times. The musical cues are harsh and jarring, yet very effective and powerful. They remind me more than anything else of horror pictures and the French Nouvelle Vague, although they aren't quite as abrupt.

Hammer is really a precursor of Dirty Harry, but he actually seems to have less redeeming qualities. It's strange, but there would rarely have been a better day for me to watch the film with these kinds of communist and nuclear warfare overtones.

Earlier in the day, I happened to have toured the now mostly abandoned Manzano underground bunker and weapons storage complex built in the 1940s and 50s, which was built as the cold war was just ramping up and first occupied right around the time of this films release.

There are few endings more potent and memorable than this. It may not be entirely scientifically accurate, but it sure gets the point across. Noir has rarely been this apocalyptic.