Review of Kiss Me Deadly (1955) by Peter C — 03 Nov 2009

Emblematic of the ubiquitous fears that ran ramped in the 1950?s, Robert Aldrich?s nihilistic powerhouse, Kiss Me Deadly, never shies away from its quiet contempt of the zeitgeist?s hallmarks (e.g. anti-intellectualism, racism, and nuclear weaponry). Noir icon, Mike Hammer stumbles through the classic- noir underbelly exuding the manner of a brute. Hammer?s seemingly fundamental iconography juxtaposed with the film?s contingent intellectual, spiritual and nuclear fatalism illustrates that the (up until this point) subversive nature of the quintessential noir-protagonist?s machismo has become rooted in an incidental adherence to social-hierarchy. This allusion creates one of the most fascinating dichotomies in the history of cinema. It is made clear, that each time Hammer exudes an initially agreeable demeanor, it is inevitably met with a bit-character?s contention; causing an eruption of violence from Hammer. This inevitably leads to the bit-character?s cooperation. Is this Hammer?s autocracy, or is there something hidden in subtext? I would wager that the subtextual message is one of involuntary social-conditioning. Consider the way each intellectual is handled in the film, from the shrieking screams of the Christina Rossetti-reading sanitarium escapee, to the opera singer who squeals after his Schubert album gets smashed. Then consider Hammer?s.

The message is clear; in modern society, intellectual prowess has taken a back seat to brute force. As a result, Hammer is an outsider posing as an insider. On the other hand, though ultimately deemed insignificant, the intellectuals are met with nowhere near as much disdain as the rich. Aldrich has a propensity for their deglamorization, here they are portrayed as worthless bores, (one needn?t look any further than the swimming pool scene to see how insignificant the rich are in Aldrich?s eyes). Kiss Me Deadly though undoubtedly a B-picture, doubles as a lacerating indictment of modern society?s abundant decadence, thus making it one of the most important films ever made.