Sam Panico Many find this a hard movie to stomach due to its misogyny. I'll see you that and raise you that it's a misanthropic film that presents all of humanity, male and female, in negative terms. The men in this film are actually treated the way women normally are in films, as either silent sex objects seen (Warren Lockman), sexless enemies (Kate's husband), shrill harpies that need to be defeated (Detective Marino) or sexless best friends who provide the hero with the tools they need to save the day (Peter). Seriously, in another film, one would think Peter would have sexual interest in Liz, but despite her double entendres and come ons, he remains more concerned with schedules and numbers and evidence.

avik-basu1889 'Dressed to Kill' for me is one of the prime examples of a film which doesn't really make you think a lot, but has numerous individual scenes which leave you in awe because of the masterful filmmaking on show. Anyone who has seen a few films from the past will be able to figure out that the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock looms large over pretty much every minute of this film apart from some other influences like Dario Argento and other Italian suspense filmmakers of the 70s.Let me first point out the aspects of the film that I loved:1. Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine are very good. Dickinson is supposed to portray a sexually frustrated wife who can't help but crave constant sexual fantasies. She does it very well. Her acting has a lot to do with her facial gestures and expressions because a lot of her scenes have very few words. Caine on the other hand is fascinating as the psychiatrist who always remains mysterious. He is a character that one can't really figure out and Caine brings the complexity out brilliantly.2. De Palma shows here why he is a masterful technician. He uses all his film school knowledge and influences to the core. We see long extended takes, a number of tracking shots, the juxtaposition of saturated colours in the rest of the film with the darkness in some crucial scenes, the use of split diopter shots and split screens,etc. Anyone who loves the craft of filmmaking will find the film a very exciting watch due to the various techniques being used. 3. The soundtrack for the film composed by Pino Donaggio is great. The main theme is beautiful.4. The famous Art Museum scene has to be given a special mention although it is just a further representation of De Palma's masterful filmmaking. It takes a brilliant director to have the capacity to execute a wordless scene like this. A whole plethora of emotions and numerous changes in mood are conveyed just through the camera work, editing and Angie Dickinson's facial acting. 5. Lastly, I'll say that 'Dressed to Kill' still offers a fun, engaging film watching experience to anyone. It is well directed and the 104 minutes run time just flows by.Let's come to what didn't work for me:1. I have already mentioned that this film is heavily influenced by Hitchcock's work. It is impossible to not get constantly reminded of 'Psycho' and to some extent of 'Vertigo', but that's also the problem here. The ideas that were present in Hitchcock's films were well explored by him that made the films thematically deep. 'Dressed to Kill' however in a way comes across as a film that wants to be Hitchcock-esque, but fails in exploring its ideas as well as Hitchcock did. The film really isn't about anything. There are certain ideas present in the film, but De Palma doesn't really seem interested in exploring them. The overt similarities with Hitchcock's scenes to some extent bring out the shortcomings in De Palma's ability to add layers and depth to the story.2. Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon and Dennis Franz didn't really impress me with their performances. I unfortunately found their performances to be a little artificial.3. The film for the most part remains sensual and sexy in a tasteful way. However there are two scenes in particular in the film which unfortunately looked a bit distasteful and sort of exploitative and this is something that also bugged me while watching 'Carrie'.So overall I found the film engaging and well made. One has to acknowledge De Palma's filmmaking prowess. However there are some glaring flaws in the film too which prevent it from making the transition from good to great. The style is brilliant, but the substance, not so much.

Danny Blankenship Clearly one of the most classic 1980 films is that of Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill" it's an interesting and well acted and simply shot suspense thriller that teases with drama and murder all while blending sex and skin in so well it's really an eye candy treat! The pace of the film is fast and fever pitch from start to finish keeping you the viewer on edge and guessing only to be thrown for a twist and a shock by the end of the picture.Set in New York city in Manhattan the story begins with Kate Miller(the bold and near perfect Angie Dickinson)as a middle age housewife who has problems she's sexually frustrated as her husband can't get it right in bed and her only son is a computer and book nerd named Peter(Keith Gordon)who wants to explore more. So one afternoon before lunch after Kate has a session with her psychiatrist Dr. Elliott(the in top form Michael Caine)she decides to end the afternoon at the city art museum only does she later find out that it will end for good for her! As it's after meeting a mystery type looking guy she follows him to his taxi then to the apartment for a one night stand type of affair, then slowly but surely the film starts to take twist and turns after Kate's life ends some of the characters are connected others are hard to get a read on as no one is who they seem.Now enter Liz Blake(the sexy Nancy Allen)who's a high priced call girl escort type who's at the apartment complex and is a witness to the murder of Kate as she lay in blood on the elevator soon one by one or little by little the pieces start to come together or do they this picture is like a jigsaw puzzle that throws you for a loop. Really it's a thrilling interest as the mystery blonde woman is not really what it seems to be! Plus the movie and film is blended and spiced up nice with plenty of sex and skin and most of it is carried by the sexy performance of Nancy Allen as she rocks it up as call girl Liz as the scene where she strips down to her black bra and panties is some great eye candy! Overall "Dressed to Kill" is one fun sexual thrill tease of suspense and twist a maze of complex obsession, deceit and emotional bloody drama of skin and murder as it's really like an identity nightmare for everyone involved. Really this is one memorable classic to see and it's enjoyable to watch many times over.

Predrag The 'Pure Cinema' approach deployed here also evokes the best work of Dario Argento, though De Palma clearly has his own agenda. His script attends the fall-out from a terrifying attack on a frustrated housewife (Angie Dickinson) by a razor-wielding maniac who then turns his/her attentions to the sole witness, a streetwise hooker (Nancy Allen) who teams up with Dickinson's teenage son (Keith Gordon) when she becomes a suspect in the case.After a slow first 25 minutes, Dressed to Kill is filled with unbearable suspense for the next 75 minutes. The last 3 minutes of the film are particularly nerve wracking. There are so many great suspense sequences that work throughout the entire film, all the way from the elevator scene to a chase into the subway. Those scenes should give any viewer a good scare. It's certainly what one would describe as edge-of-your seat suspense. I know those sequences freaked me out, and those last few minutes in the film is a true heart-pounding nerve jangler. This is what De Palma is good at and he should make more films like this.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.