"Dressed To Kill" is a visually impressive psychological thriller which contains moments of suspense, humour and violence and also numerous twists and bizarre developments. Its story is delivered in a way which is extremely elegant, fluid and well paced and also features enough unexpected elements to keep even the most demanding viewer fully engaged throughout.
Director Brian de Palma is generally recognised as a disciple of Alfred Hitchcock and this movie is clearly influenced by "Psycho". There are numerous direct similarities including the style of the murder, the type of weapon used and Angie Dickinson's role fulfilling the same function as Janet Leigh's. It's also interesting, however, that the Hitchcock influences don't stop there. The choice of the back of a taxi as the location for a steamy encounter involving Angie Dickinson's character and a stranger is undoubtedly inspired by one of Hitchcock's widely quoted anecdotes which related to his preference for leading ladies who might initially appear to be cool or remote. The amount of audience manipulation used is also a characteristic of Hitchcock's work.
Brian de Palma is so technically adept that his work on this movie ensures that it never becomes mere pastiche. An extended segment of the story which is told without dialogue is immensely impressive and the split screen sequences are also very effective.
Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is a frustrated middle aged housewife who discusses her problems with her psychiatrist, Dr Robert Elliott (Michael Caine) and in the course of their conversation comes on to him. He resists and later she goes on to have a fling with a complete stranger before being brutally murdered. The only witness to the crime is a high class call girl called Liz Blake (Nancy Allen) whose story isn't believed by the police and she becomes their main suspect and also the killer's next target. She then sets off to find the real murderer and joins forces with Kate's teenage son Peter (Keith Gordon) who is an inventor with a precocious talent which he puts to good use in trying to ascertain the identity of the killer.
The quality of the acting is consistently high with Angie Dickinson being particularly good at conveying her feelings during the sequence which had no dialogue and Nancy Allen being equally successful at portraying her character's streetwise attitude and vulnerability. Dennis Franz is also amusing in his support role as the crude and insensitive Detective Marino.
The exceptionally beautiful score by Pino Donaggio is haunting and absolutely perfect for this particular movie.
Director Brian de Palma is generally recognised as a disciple of Alfred Hitchcock and this movie is clearly influenced by "Psycho". There are numerous direct similarities including the style of the murder, the type of weapon used and Angie Dickinson's role fulfilling the same function as Janet Leigh's. It's also interesting, however, that the Hitchcock influences don't stop there. The choice of the back of a taxi as the location for a steamy encounter involving Angie Dickinson's character and a stranger is undoubtedly inspired by one of Hitchcock's widely quoted anecdotes which related to his preference for leading ladies who might initially appear to be cool or remote. The amount of audience manipulation used is also a characteristic of Hitchcock's work.
Brian de Palma is so technically adept that his work on this movie ensures that it never becomes mere pastiche. An extended segment of the story which is told without dialogue is immensely impressive and the split screen sequences are also very effective.
Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is a frustrated middle aged housewife who discusses her problems with her psychiatrist, Dr Robert Elliott (Michael Caine) and in the course of their conversation comes on to him. He resists and later she goes on to have a fling with a complete stranger before being brutally murdered. The only witness to the crime is a high class call girl called Liz Blake (Nancy Allen) whose story isn't believed by the police and she becomes their main suspect and also the killer's next target. She then sets off to find the real murderer and joins forces with Kate's teenage son Peter (Keith Gordon) who is an inventor with a precocious talent which he puts to good use in trying to ascertain the identity of the killer.
The quality of the acting is consistently high with Angie Dickinson being particularly good at conveying her feelings during the sequence which had no dialogue and Nancy Allen being equally successful at portraying her character's streetwise attitude and vulnerability. Dennis Franz is also amusing in his support role as the crude and insensitive Detective Marino.
The exceptionally beautiful score by Pino Donaggio is haunting and absolutely perfect for this particular movie.