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IMDbPro

Dressed to Kill

  • 19801980
  • RR
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,439
82
Nancy Allen, Michael Caine, and Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.
Play trailer2:06
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
41K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,439
82
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writer
    • Brian De Palma
  • Stars
    • Michael Caine
    • Angie Dickinson
    • Nancy Allen
Top credits
  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writer
    • Brian De Palma
  • Stars
    • Michael Caine
    • Angie Dickinson
    • Nancy Allen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 258User reviews
    • 149Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:06
    Official Trailer

    Photos114

    Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Brian De Palma in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Michael Caine in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Nancy Allen in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Nancy Allen in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Michael Caine in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Nancy Allen and Michael Caine in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
    Nancy Allen in Dressed to Kill (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Caine
    Michael Caine
    • Doctor Robert Elliott
    Angie Dickinson
    Angie Dickinson
    • Kate Miller
    Nancy Allen
    Nancy Allen
    • Liz Blake
    Keith Gordon
    Keith Gordon
    • Peter Miller
    Dennis Franz
    Dennis Franz
    • Detective Marino
    David Margulies
    David Margulies
    • Dr. Levy
    Ken Baker
    • Warren Lockman
    Susanna Clemm
    Susanna Clemm
    • Betty Luce
    Brandon Maggart
    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
    Bill Randolph
    • Chase Cabbie
    Sean O'Rinn
    • Museum Cabbie
    Fred Weber
    • Mike Miller
    Samm-Art Williams
    • Subway Cop
    • Director
      • Brian De Palma
    • Writer
      • Brian De Palma
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Angie Dickinson (Kate Miller) said the scene where her character gets seduced in the back of a taxicab was filmed on-location in New York City, where several gawkers observed the scene and shouted, "Right on, Police Woman!" (referring to her previous television role).
    • Goofs
      When Kate gets into the taxicab after the museum, there is a specific rate listed on the outside of the taxicab. When she gets out, there is a different rate.
    • 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.

    • Alternate versions
      NBC edited 14 minutes from this film for its 1982 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Edited into Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      The Shower (Main Title Theme)
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Pino Donaggio

      Conducted by Natale Massara

    User reviews258

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    prime form, trite contents
    In France, it's considered polite from French critics to genuflect to the apparently cohesive chain of films Brian De Palma left behind him. However, a good proportion of his films are marred by bombastic effects "Carrie" (1976), "the Fury" (1978) "Scarface" (1983) without mentioning his borrowings from Hitchcock. Here, in "Dressed to Kill", it's impossible not to think of "Vertigo" (1958) for the long sequence in the museum while the key moment in the lift makes inevitably think of the shower anthology sequence in "Psycho" (1960). About our involved film, I don't want to revive the old debate: does De Palma rip off Hitchcock? Instead, i would tend to be generous and to classify "Dressed to Kill" in the category of De Palma's winners alongside "Sisters" (1973) and "Obssession" (1976). With however some reservations and they're the ones I previously enumerated which fuel the bickering between De Palma's rabid fans and his detractors.

    If there's one sure thing in "Dressed to Kill" which can generate general agreement among film-lovers, it's De Palma's virtuosity in directing. He wields his camera just like a filmmaker expert is supposed to do. His sophisticated camera work brilliantly fuels the suspense which entails a rise of the tension and a discomforting aura. The audience is easily glued in front of the screen. This is helped by the use of several long silent sequences during which everything depends on looks and gestures. By the way, in "Psycho", there were also long silent, suspenseful parts...

    But the main drawback in De Palma's 1980 vintage is that the quality of the plot can't be found wanting and appears to be a rehash of many formulaic, corny ingredients pertaining to an incalculable number of murder stories. The prostitute is the sole witness of the crime. Then, she's suspected by the police and has to act on her own (with a little help from the victim's son from the scene in the subway onwards)) to track down the murderer and to prove her innocence. Apart from the fact that De Palma uses a type of character who for once isn't demeaned at all, it's a menu which smells the reheated. And the filmmaker ends his film on a sequence that echoes to the opening one. Yes, it's superbly filmed but when one discovers its real function, one figures: "it's almost gratuitous filler". Perhaps De Palma wanted to stretch his film beyond one hour and a half when at this time the viewer knows (and even before) who the killer is.

    The two central mainsprings in De Palma's set of themes articulate hinges on manipulation and voyeurism. The latter theme is well present in "Dressed to Kill" from the first scene onwards which makes the film almost look like a soft porn movie. And the filmmaker isn't afraid to film his main actress and wife Nancy Allen in her underwear. I find his approach about this theme rather doubtful. But maybe the first sequence was conceived to be a mirror of the viewer and De Palma wanted to stir his peeping tom side.

    I don't want to demean at all De Palma's work. His prestigious work in directing which entails a communicative treat to film redeems the global weakness of the story and its doubtful aspects. Twenty six years after, the controversy he aroused amid movie-goers isn't ready to subside.
    helpful•29
    24
    • dbdumonteil
    • Oct 31, 2006

    FAQ2

    • Who played the guy in the museum who lures Angie Dickenson into the taxi?
    • What are the differences between the R-Rated version and the Unrated Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 25, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • MGM
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Vestida para matar
    • Filming locations
      • Philadelphia Museum of Art - 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Filmways Pictures
      • Cinema 77 Films
      • American International Pictures (AIP)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,899,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $31,899,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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