
While taking a shower, Kate Miller, a middle-aged, sexually frustrated New York City 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 certi... (Full plot summary below)
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While taking a shower, Kate Miller, a middle-aged, sexually frustrated New York City 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 sunglasses. Liz Blake, a high-class call girl, is the only witness to the murder and she becomes the prime suspect and the murderer'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 as Detective Marino, who's in charge of the case, is uncooperative in the investigation.
Leave your thoughts about Dressed to Kill.
| VarietyVariety StaffDespite some major structural weaknesses, the cannily manipulated combination of mystery, gore and kinky sex adds up to a slick commercial package. |
| Movie MetropolisJohn J. Puccio...a thriller that may have you turning your head on a couple of occasions and maybe scratching it on a couple of others. |
| Creative LoafingMatt BrunsonDressed to Kill remains a prime example of how De Palma is able to marry his awesome technical prowess to the material, using his dazzling feats of cinematic derring-do to propel his stories rather than bury their weaknesses. |
| The New YorkerPauline KaelIt’s easy to see why people hated a movie as arch, violent, and glib as Dressed To Kill, and equally clear that this is exactly what De Palma was going for with all the gusto he could muster. |
| Slant MagazineEric HendersonThe pleasures of Dressed to Kill flat out do not translate to print, but for what it’s worth it is the most perfectly-directed film ever, provided you, like me, bust into orgasmic laughter when De Palma’s double-shuffling editing makes it seem like the only threat Nancy Allen and a wooden cop can see boarding the subway is a 250-pound bag lady. |
| The GuardianPhillip FrenchThis ingenious erotic thriller full of unexpected shocks is best seen with no foreknowledge and even better at a second viewing. |
| Boston GlobeMichael BlowenDressed To Kill is a nail-biting, seat-squirming, stylish murder mystery with a brain. |
| Montreal Film JournalKevin N. LaforestBrian De Palma is truly a great filmmaker. Whether you enjoy his work or hate his guts, you got to admit that he's at least brilliant at crafting impressive set pieces. |
| TheFilmFile.comDustin PutmanEerily transcendent, Dressed to Kill is a layered machine of on-target character work and the sort of tension that only the best of the best filmmakers can ratchet. |
| Washington PostGary ArnoldBrian De Palma goes right for the audience jugular in Dressed to Kill, a stylish exercise in ersatz-Hitchcock suspense-terror. Despite some major structural weaknesses, the cannily manipulated combination of mystery, gore and kinky sex adds up to a slick commercial package. |