Dressed to Kill (1980)

A mysterious, tall blonde woman, wearing dark sunglasses murders one of a psychiatrist's patients, and now she goes after the high-priced call girl who witnessed the murder.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma

Stars:

Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Doctor Robert Elliott
Angie Dickinson	...	Kate Miller
Nancy Allen	...	Liz Blake
Keith Gordon	...	Peter Miller
Dennis Franz	...	Detective Marino
David Margulies	...	Dr. Levy
Ken Baker	...	Warren Lockman
Susanna Clemm	...	Betty Luce
Brandon Maggart	...	Cleveland Sam
Amalie Collier	...	Cleaning Woman
Mary Davenport	...	Woman in Restaurant
Anneka Di Lorenzo	...	Nurse (as Anneka De Lorenzo)
Norman Evans	...	Ted
Robbie L. McDermott	...	Man in Shower
Bill Randolph	...	Chase Cabbie

Storyline

While taking a shower, Kate Miller, a middle-aged, sexually frustrated New York housewife, has a rape fantasy while her husband stands at the sink shaving. Later that day, after complaining to her psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott about her husband's pathetic performance in bed, she meets a strange man at a museum and returns to his apartment where they continue an adulterous encounter that began in the taxicab. Before she leaves his apartment, she finds papers which certify that the man has a venereal disease. Panicked, Kate rushes into the elevator, but has to return to his apartment when she realizes she's forgotten her wedding ring. When the elevator doors open, she's brutally slashed to death by a tall blonde woman wearing dark glasses. Liz Blake, a high-priced call girl, is the only witness to the murder and she becomes the prime suspect and the murderess's next target. Liz is rescued from being killed by Kate's son Peter, who enlists the help of Liz to catch his mother's killer ...

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | elevator | psychiatrist | murder | sunglasses | 

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Taglines:

Brian De Palma Master Of The Macabre, Invites You To A Showing Of The Latest Fashion... .....In Murder

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

X

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vestida para matar

Filming Locations:

162 East 70th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$31,899,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmways Pictures, Cinema 77 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 104 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brian De Palma specifically wrote the part of Liz Blake for his then wife Nancy Allen to play.

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Goofs

When Kate writes the second letter, the first one disappears and reappears on the table between shots.

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Quotes

Liz Blake: Do you want to fuck me?
Doctor Robert Elliott: Oh, yes.
Liz Blake: Then why don't you?
Doctor Robert Elliott: Because I'm a doctor and...
Liz Blake: Fucked a lot of doctors.
Doctor Robert Elliott: ...and I'm married.
Liz Blake: Fucked a lot of them, too.

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Connections

References The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972)

User Reviews

Oozing with style, but completely lacking in substance

A repressed housewife (an annoying lisping Angie Dickinson, whose body double treats/horrifies us with an extreme closeup of her delicates) is sexually bored by her husband and decides to branch-out. This directly results in a string of murders that soon involve a high-class prostitute (Nancy Allen, clearly I am in the wrong business if SHE can bring home $600 a night) and her psychologist (Michael Caine). If you are going to watch De Palma rip off (excuse me, "pay homage to") Hitchcock, watch "Sisters" instead of this. "Dressed to Kill," while loaded with style and technical skill, is one of the tackiest thrillers I have had the displeasure of sitting through. The plot is absurd and tired. It does feature some surprisingly effective jump scares and nasty graphic murder sequences that should please any horror fan, as long as they can get past the silly story line, that must have been dated even in 1980.