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Dressed to Kill
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Dressed to Kill

1980
Suspense/Thriller
Mystery
1h 44m
A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.
Directed by:
Brian De Palma Brian De Palma
Written by:
Brian De Palma Brian De Palma
Starring:
Michael Caine Michael Caine Angie Dickinson Angie Dickinson David Margulies David Margulies Nancy Allen Nancy Allen Dennis Franz Dennis Franz Keith Gordon Brandon Maggart Mary Davenport Anneka Di Lorenzo Ken Baker Susanna Clemm Amalie Collier
More
Genres:
Suspense/Thriller, Mystery
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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Dressed to Kill

1980
Suspense/Thriller
Mystery
1h 44m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 60.16% from 1266 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 31 Jan 2017
90
92nd
This was like walking in on Alfred Hitchcock in drag doing cocaine off of Cary Grant's penis while Dennis Franz watches in the corner blowing gum bubbles between cigarette drags. (Cary Grant is erect if you want to know just how sleazy this scene is).
Rated 31 Jan 2017
paxtonPaxton
Rated 01 Sep 2020
70
65th
I always get this mixed up with Tootsie.
Rated 01 Sep 2020
cclzaCCLZA
Rated 17 May 2008
90
95th
Works wonderfully both as a homage to Hitchcock and a trashy crime 80s film extravaganza.
Rated 17 May 2008
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 03 Jun 2019
80
72nd
A visually arresting masterpiece of sleaze. De Palma at his best and his worst could embrace much of the lush, visual perversity Hitch wasn't really allowed to. But De Palma at his best could do it with his own voice and integrity, which this film does, in often disarming ways.
Rated 03 Jun 2019
kmcneilKMcNeil
Rated 06 Dec 2008
8
84th
Hitchcock meets Argento? The use of deep focus, the staging and the all-around meticulous camera work really takes this to the next level. Also: The ending ranks right up there with De Palmas very best like "Carlito's Way".
Rated 06 Dec 2008
stainStain
Rated 02 Feb 2008
90
86th
Well-paced, stylized, and nasty. IOW De Palma just as we like him
Rated 02 Feb 2008
mysticMystic
Rated 30 Sep 2021
2
22nd
An important subtext to the story, good music score, and fine film-making skills (few sequences; four to be precise), can't cover up for an over-sexualized, B-grade, trite, and sloppy remainder of the film. Overall, hasn't aged well at all.
Rated 30 Sep 2021
hehejajahehejaja
Rated 27 Apr 2008
90
91st
Utterly seductive in its opulent imagery. There are moments in this film of such luminous tension and style, you simply ignore the sly banality of it all. Utterly enrapturing.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
eveeluneveelun
Rated 21 Feb 2009
64
28th
As far as Hitchcock imitations go this is far from the worst, but still I can't say I was all that impressed. Sure, it's very stylish and the camerawork is technically impressive and at times elegant. But the story is at best silly, at worst offensive (depending on how seriously you take this "Cruising" era treatment of transsexuality), and none of the characters is in the least bit interesting (with the exception of an (unintentionally?) hilarious 70s macho cop played by Dennis Franz).
Rated 21 Feb 2009
christiaanbchristiaanb
Rated 16 Mar 2015
80
67th
Ten odd minutes into the movie we are treated to a wonderful sequence of scenes: a woman and a man engage in tense game of attraction-rejection, pursuing each other throughout a museum, at intervals distancing themselves from each other. Eventually they have sex and from this point on everything goes awry. Either way, this scene exhibits everything that is admirable about this movie: there is no coherent plot, the characters are underdeveloped, but the direction and pacing are perfect.
Rated 16 Mar 2015
indyatmnINDYATMN
Rated 28 Mar 2014
71
26th
It seems critics love directors of NARRATIVE films only caring about visuals if they reference old films. Still, pity poor Dickinson who has to make ridiculous orgasm faces in close-up as she masturbates in the opening scene. It's scored to soft strings insuring it'll be taken as parody, even though there's no indication any of DePalma's horny adolescent dreaming is meant to be funny. He also doesn't seem to mind Nancy Allen delivering some of his overheated dialogue in the flattest way possible
Rated 28 Mar 2014
thedenizenTheDenizen
Rated 02 Jan 2014
70
63rd
When a call girl is the only witness to the murder of a middle aged woman by a razor wielding transvestite, she teams up with the son of the victim to catch the killer. Brian De Palma does his best to make a stylish giallo, and it's confidently directed and has some nice gore. It's also got a great cast though a couple of the performances are pretty wooden. However lurid this material might have been in 1980, it seems amusingly quaint now. Pfft, homicidal trannies, whatever...
Rated 02 Jan 2014
fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 19 Mar 2019
8
78th
If I ever have the chance to either loot the fabled Criterion closet or De Palma's sleazy dvd collection, I'd choose the latter.
Rated 19 Mar 2019
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 26 Aug 2011
75
52nd
Not a very well made movie, but I don't expect much better than mediocre from De Palma. I wasn't riveted for any duration, but when the twist comes out the only thing I could do was shake my head.
Rated 26 Aug 2011
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 11 Feb 2014
3
38th
This is a pretty silly, albeit enjoyable, take on Psycho. De Palma has never been the least bit shy about wearing the Hitchcock influence on his sleeve, but there's enough here to make this worthwhile on its own. Kinda drags in spots, though.
Rated 11 Feb 2014
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 13 Nov 2021
4
74th
Just absolute trash pulp. I... mostly love it. Taken purely on formal qualities - and really there's not much more on offer - it's a virtuoso bag of suspense thriller tricks. It's captivating, despite predictability. Unfortunate that it utterly obliterates the line of decency in its transphobia. A generally glib feeling relieves it of self-seriousness, but also casually presents attitudes which are, at best, antiquated. It's a troublesome damper on a film that is otherwise so much fun.
Rated 13 Nov 2021
carpetgiantCarpetgiant
Rated 24 Aug 2014
81
43rd
I guess I would have to say that this is my second favorite film to feature Alec Cawthorne.
Rated 24 Aug 2014
ericamblerericambler
Rated 07 Apr 2023
74
57th
Masterfully filmed sleaze. De Palma is really humping Hitchcock’s ghost here. Banks enough style points to mitigate its dated New York Post take on gender dysphoria.
Rated 07 Apr 2023
sirrobbieSirRobbie
Rated 28 Feb 2013
70
53rd
De Palma is so focused on the suspense and visual aspect of his film that it makes me less involved with the story and characters. Still, in this aspect, he is a master and I admire him for this (same with Mr. Hitch).
Rated 28 Feb 2013
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 20 Oct 2011
90
83rd
Fascinating Hitchcock homage; unabashedly lurid and exploitational but transformed into a mini-masterpiece by De Palma's incredible directorial hand. Performances are almost irrelevant here, but Caine, Allen and especially Dickinson are terrific at inhabiting the archetypes required of them, and consistent quoting of Hitch (albeit updated to a very 80s setting) makes it great fun for Hitchcock and/or film buffs generally.
Rated 20 Oct 2011
capodelnullacapodelnulla
Rated 21 Jul 2017
80
81st
eğer bir filmin sonunda sözde *twist* varsa ve onu umursamadan film etkileyiciyse hiç boşuna tarz egzersizi falan diye konuşmaya, hitchcock etkisini taklit diye küçümsemeye gerek yok. de palma belki de hak ettiği değeri en az gören yönetmenlerden biri, ve kesinlikle o kameranın arkasına geçmiş en iyilerden. film her ne kadar yaşlanmaktan çok eskimiş olsa da bugün hala sağlam bütçeler alıp bir şeyler yapıyor olsa ortaya ne çıkarırdı merak etmemek elde değil.
Rated 21 Jul 2017
neonmanNeonman
Rated 29 Jan 2012
75
51st
A lusciously filmed and simply told story just not too slow enough for the watcher to guess what happens next, but still slow enough to tantalise them as the story unravels like an occasionally violent strip-tease.
Rated 29 Jan 2012
davekehrdavekehr
Rated 08 Mar 2009
1
0th
"De Palma cheapens what he steals, draining the Hitchcock moves of their content and complexity."
Rated 08 Mar 2009
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 01 Jun 2011
95
93rd
So over-the-top and I love it!
Rated 01 Jun 2011
hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 19 Jan 2019
68
65th
It feels dated and a bit silly at times, and De Palma's influences rub some people the wrong way, but its got such a fun cast its enjoyable throughout.
Rated 19 Jan 2019
knorozknoroz
Rated 22 Apr 2024
70
53rd
Best shower scene silver screen.
Rated 22 Apr 2024
fatchrisbFatchrisb
Rated 18 Jun 2018
40
5th
Don't usually rate movies I didn't finish, but after two attempts, I wasn't able to make it more that 30 minutes into this film. Blah!
Rated 18 Jun 2018
henrikHenrik
Rated 24 Aug 2013
75
69th
Might be an exercise in style (channelling Psycho, Vertigo and Argento's Profondo Rosso). But it's a damn good exercise.
Rated 24 Aug 2013
yiannosYiannos
Rated 14 Nov 2017
53
32nd
The pleasures of De Palma's cinema are superficial, but D.T.K has never convinced me, despite its reputation as one of the great modern thrillers. It's too homage driven, like a self conscious remix, with ideas lifted wholesale from Hitchcock and Argento, but they aren't creatively flipped, so the seams remain visible to the point of distraction. The museum sequence is an appealing bravura touch, but this lurid mix of eroticism and death was done far better years later in Basic Instinct.
Rated 14 Nov 2017
tedted
Rated 08 Oct 2009
90
90th
This movie scared the hell out of me. Extremely entertaining. A must-see.
Rated 08 Oct 2009
metalhankmetalhank
Rated 02 Jun 2017
55
28th
Generally like De Palma's films but found it tough to get into this one. I think he should of used a younger lead (maybe around the 40 year mark). Should probably give it a re-watch some time soon.
Rated 02 Jun 2017
twincinematwincinema
Rated 07 Aug 2016
80
75th
Whoa! This film is dripping in sleaze. I watched the unrated version that Criterion released, and the opening scene has Angie Dickinson showering her naked body (well, her body double), with lingering shots on each body part, before an unknown man starts to rape her. This is the kind of film you're getting. While De Palma has never been shy about Hitchock's influence on him, this film is basically De Palma's version of Psycho.
Rated 07 Aug 2016
infinitezeroInfiniteZero
Rated 21 Jun 2011
80
64th
More willfully exploitative and trashy DePalma -- which is when he's at his best.
Rated 21 Jun 2011
noam_razNoam Raz
Rated 04 Jul 2016
71
75th
Humane, but then wraping your mouth around a ring isn't a very sensible thing to do.
Rated 04 Jul 2016
redactedredacted
Rated 04 May 2013
60
30th
Glen or Glenda meets Hitchcock? Not really. Pop psychology coated over a slightly above average plot line. The gallery sequence is quite classy, it could be a stand alone short film really. *spoilers* It was good seeing Caine in a skirt though, life box ticked right there, right under watch the pope abdicate.
Rated 04 May 2013
evilmangoesEvilMangoes
Rated 01 Jan 2020
86
62nd
B+
Rated 01 Jan 2020
gokcanzgokcanz
Rated 26 Oct 2012
74
70th
* Casting, Acting : 6 * Script : 7 * Directing, Aura : 9 * Ease of Viewing : 8 * Naked Eye : 7
Rated 26 Oct 2012
omgfridgeomgfridge
Rated 10 Apr 2010
8
80th
Stylish and enjoyable homage to Hitchcock.
Rated 10 Apr 2010
rthornhillrthornhill
Rated 23 Nov 2010
93
85th
my favorite thriller from mr. depalma......the best american homage to hitchcock ever....highly recommended. .
Rated 23 Nov 2010
chadarnookchadarnook
Rated 15 Apr 2023
68
25th
A couple of terrific sequences amidst a very silly plot.
Rated 15 Apr 2023
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 25 Mar 2021
4
55th
"instead of building a computer, i could build a woman....... out of me!" you had the sequel, brian. it was right there.
Rated 25 Mar 2021
lonewolf2003Lonewolf2003
Rated 05 Sep 2017
72
51st
The first part with Angie Dickinson is absolutely great. Because that part could als work as just the overimagination of a bored housewife. After that it loses some momentum.
Rated 05 Sep 2017
eggbeatereggbeater
Rated 17 Mar 2009
83
82nd
High-tension melodrama. De Palma works on viewers' emotions, not logic, and maintains a fever pitch from start to finish. Chilling Pino Donaggio score.
Rated 17 Mar 2009
picklemanPickle_Man
Rated 16 Jan 2019
80
55th
Some neat technical flourishes from De Palma, a few really great scenes, but unfortunately a few pretty bad ones too.
Rated 16 Jan 2019
glm01glm01
Rated 18 Sep 2013
78
58th
77.500
Rated 18 Sep 2013
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 05 Jan 2014
85
92nd
Now I love more Psycho and even Passion, the film that works as a visual remake of many shots and solutions used here -- split-screen, the blue, stormy colors illuminating interiors, the razor slashing blond girls' necks, the dream in the last sequence after a crime that might or might not happen. In De Palma's mind, storytelling is not about words, but a simple combination of scenario/location, people and movement. His morality is the medium, the camera -- starts and ends in cinema.
Rated 05 Jan 2014
aron_ericsonAron Ericson
Rated 17 Jul 2016
77
81st
Pulpy, and proud of it. I found it unexpectedly effective and entertaining.
Rated 17 Jul 2016
iyisinekiyisinek
Rated 12 Jul 2012
73
58th
(Evlilikte problemleri olan Kate Miller, psikolojik yardim almaktadir. Yaptigi kacamagin ardindan evine dönerken asansörde bir transeksüel tarafindan öldürülür. O an asansörün önünde bulunan Liz Blake cinayetin bir numarali zanlisi durumuna düser. Kadinin oglu, Liz Blake ve Polis üc koldan cinayeti aydinlatmaya calisir.) Seri katil, cinsiyet ameliyati, travesti, cinayet, dürbünle evi izlemek, metro istasyonunda kacis, kacma kovalama, akil hastanesi (son 3 dakika), uzayan son, ekrani bölme tek.
Rated 12 Jul 2012
kcknzkcknz
Rated 31 Aug 2018
86
90th
another modest masterpiece by de palma. trademarks of the director (tracking shots, suspense & erotic thriller, giallo elements, retrospective cinematic references) are perfect as always. michael caine and nancy allen perform an influential acting. dressed to kill, blowup, and body double: anyone who claims to love cinema should watch this brilliant peeping trilogy.
Rated 31 Aug 2018
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 11 Jun 2023
40
5th
Take away the frantic music and the odd camera angles, and you're left with some horrible dialogue and some very wooden performances in a film that seems like it will never end. Franz was good, but that's about all I can say about this "homage" that just feels all around sleazy.
Rated 11 Jun 2023
hulothulot
Rated 07 Mar 2013
80
81st
watched: 2013, 2015, 2018, 2023
Rated 07 Mar 2013
kasperlKasperL
Rated 16 Apr 2023
80
86th
Both the script and, particularly, the style are terrific. Made me eager to revisit some more De Palma flicks.
Rated 16 Apr 2023
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 06 Oct 2009
1
12th
Was that awful or what? De Palma really cheapens Hitchcock's work by stealing it and shitting all over it. Still, I guess it makes me appreciate Hitch more. De Palma treats the audience like it's 8 years old, I mean showing what the person is thinking with your terrible editing every minute? God, go to film school. Waste of time, Michael Caine is useless. Ending was really bad.
Rated 06 Oct 2009
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 17 Oct 2010
40
97th
"Inflates paperback pulp psychology into something like a plot, all the better to demonstrate that filmmaking is an inherently visual storytelling." - Eric Henderson
Rated 17 Oct 2010
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 27 Feb 2007
50
35th
Not bad.
Rated 27 Feb 2007
myfavchordsmyfavchords
Rated 12 Feb 2024
75
49th
This movie has a good script that keeps things interesting. The cast does a good job in this film. The last around 10 minutes of the film are not needed and the movie would have been better without them. Overall I would recommend this film.
Rated 12 Feb 2024
walkenrollWalkenRoll
Rated 11 May 2012
85
85th
De Palma. Check. Nancy Allen cavorting about in underwear and showering. Check. Michael Caine as a creepy psychiatrist, Check. You owe it to yourself to see this, I have no idea why I watched Carrie and Snake Eyes years ago and never watched more De Palma, if only I'd seen it sooner :D
Rated 11 May 2012
nathandarkoNathanDarko
Rated 10 Mar 2009
80
52nd
Dressed to Kill feels like the early Hitchcock Movies with a very suspense atmosphere, known by the early "giallo" Movies from Bava or Argento for Example.
Rated 10 Mar 2009
spamhead80spamhead80
Rated 22 Jul 2013
72
43rd
It's beautifully filmed, but it hasn't aged terribly well (the 80s were not a period particularly sensitive to transgender issues).
Rated 22 Jul 2013
hadleyreisHadleyreis
Rated 26 Jun 2023
79
74th
Titty-baps in the first shot? You had me at hello.
Rated 26 Jun 2023
glmglm
Rated 18 Jan 2011
75
55th
75.125
Rated 18 Jan 2011
caimancaiman
Rated 22 Nov 2015
70
37th
Hmm, when I think back to this movie the biggest impact it had on me was how much of a Hitchcock ripoff (homage?) it was. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but it definitely makes it hard to take this too seriously. I enjoyed it, especially Michael Caine and finale, but it seems all too insignificant.
Rated 22 Nov 2015
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 09 Apr 2009
76
88th
Good Movie
Rated 09 Apr 2009
doyler29doyler29
Rated 24 Sep 2023
80
68th
The only thing that kind of holds me back from this film is that it ultimately may be no more meaningful an exercise than Van Sant's shot-by-shot remake, except that it's for more effective in taking the elements and yanking them into the present, and sort of making them his own. There's a playful self-awareness to De Palma that makes even the very extreme sex and violence (really extreme for a mainstream film starring a Hollywood legend) seem harmless.
Rated 24 Sep 2023
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 02 Nov 2009
63
60th
About average for De Palma. The obvious Hitchcock influence, the split screen is back, and basically it's pulp. It's consistently enjoyable but often silly. Some of the ending scenes in particular.
Rated 02 Nov 2009
davidthomsonDavidThomson
Rated 02 Sep 2012
55
33rd
The most complete homage De Palma would make to Hitchcock and a film with several set pieces worthy of the master himself, such as the intricate pursuit passage where Angie Dickinson thinks she is being flirted with. But De Palma worked at his task with the understanding that there was now a audience that could pick up all the Hitch references and accommodate the rather lip-smacking humor in all the physically outraging scenes. It was camp Hitchcock, a summer-vacation Psycho for rich kids.[tMoP]
Rated 02 Sep 2012
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 24 Apr 2023
71
46th
This feels like an homage to Hitchcock--it's immensely stupid and trashy in equal measure, yet manages to be mostly effective at what it tries. It's as stylish as you'd expect from De Palma. Ultimately, there are many plot holes you could drive a truck through, the twist was obvious to me from very early in the movie, and the movie cheats with editing and other things to try to hide the twist. The ending is very stupid but is at the same time just masterfully filmed as a piece of suspense.
Rated 24 Apr 2023
three-questions_ii???
Rated 22 Feb 2012
79
78th
Alfred who?
Rated 22 Feb 2012
nuotionuotio
Rated 19 Jan 2007
63
78th
I’ve seen this a few times and tend to forget how slow it is in the beginning; the museum scene is too long and De Palma too much in love with his tricks. But I also forget how suspenseful the subway and office scenes are once Nancy Allen takes the lead. Some aspects have aged badly; killer's motivation and the picture it paints about middle aged women seeking pleasure. It’s still a solid film, worth returning to every few years. A prime example of American Giallo, but not among De Palma’s best.
Rated 19 Jan 2007
dustydDustyd
Rated 16 Sep 2007
40
11th
Too silly for me.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
emre_eEmre E.
Rated 26 Feb 2020
85
78th
Filmin Hitchcock’un başyapıtı Psycho’un bir çeşit modern yorumu olduğunu söyleyebiliriz. Öte yandan evliliğinde cinsel anlamda mutsuz olan kadın karakterin, bir sergide tanışıp beraber olduğu adamın cinsel bir hastalık taşıdığını öğrenmesi ve akabinde düştüğü durum, sanki işlemiş olduğu günahın bir cezası gibi resmediliyor. Bunu yönetmenin filme yerleştirdiği gizli muhafazakar mesajlardan birisi olarak yorumlayabiliriz.
Rated 26 Feb 2020
ilkerilker
Rated 02 Dec 2019
70
39th
bazi filmler kötü yaşlanıyor.
Rated 02 Dec 2019

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