Rating: 
Summary: A Thrilling Classic
Review: Brian De Palma has never gotten the attention and recognition he so rightfully deserves. He definitley deserves it for this frightening thriller that stars Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson, and Dennis Franz. A cross dressing murderer is stalking a hooker that saw him commit a crime. Michael Caine plays the psycho's psychiatrist. The movie has such a great twist at the end that your thinking 'huh? what?'. It's filmed in a great De Palma Hitchcokcian way. Michael Caine does a solid job as usual. The rest of the cast are nothing great, but they do their best. This is about as good and well made as a suspense thriller can get.
Rating: 
Summary: DIE SEXY!
Review: Love it or hate it Brian DePalma's DRESSED TO KILL has proven to be one of the first classics of the modern suspense genre, the sexual thriller. Although it owes much to Hitchcock's PSYCHO, DRESSED TO KILL turns up the volume for the modern audience, taking an unflinching view of murder and perversion that many film goers simply were not prepared for at the time. Released in 1980, D2K, shocked just about everyone who saw it. The stylized direction and brilliant editing made it one of the most effective thrillers to come out of Hollywood ever. The first murder in the film was so horrific it earned the film an X-rating and gave director DePalma an undeserved reputation as a misogynistic exploitation film maker. There were actual protests in the streets over the film. Viewers of this new DVD version are treated not only to a beautifully mastered release of the film, but enough background information (in the form of behind the scenes documentaries, with interviews of all the key creators) that one can truly appreciate D2K as the ground braking classic it is. There's even a shot by shot comparison of the X-rated version vs the R-rated. If you've never seen the film, you must and judge for yourself. If it's an old favorite the DVD will really give you something to sink your teeth into. While many DVD extras turn out to be little more than filler the extras here fully compliment the movie and taken as a whole The Dressed To Kill Special Edition actually is special.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid terror.
Review: This is the film where DePalma finally established more fully a voice of his own within the Hitchcock landscape. Carrie was great, but the Hitchcock resonances were not so numerous or overt in that film. It falls outside the category of the "Hitchcock film." So does Phantom of the Paradise, which was very enjoyable and sometimes breathtaking, although not as serious as some of his other work. Sisters is wonderfully powerful, with bravura sequences and disturbing imagery, but Sisters, like Obsession, still remains essentially a Hitchcock pastiche filtered through DePalma's mannerisms and voice. Dressed to Kill is not the best film in the group, but in it, DePalma found a thematic perspective that finally detached itself from its Hitchcock origins and took on an objective reality of its own. The subsequent "Hitchcock" films, Blowout and Body Double, remain, in my opinion, DePalma's best excursions into this landscape. They are Hitchcockian films that can fully be recognized as DePalma, not Hitchcock. This was made possible because of ground broken in Dressed to Kill. The grim theme in Dressed to Kill is the tension between men and women that stems from sexual difference and misogyny, and the inability of the male psyche to be comfortable with its sexuality. Michael Caine is a transexual who kills women who arouse the masculine side of his personality. The tension is high, there are a few very scary scenes and moments, and there is some disturbing, sexually violent imagery, particularly in the famous nightmare sequence which ends the film (the nurse lying dead on the bed, strangled, with her stockinged leg on erotic display). Dressed to Kill displays a rough, jerky rhythm as it moves along in fits and starts. This works against the film as much as it does for it. Another problem is that it is obvious from the beginning who the killer is. DePalma is playing a came of cat-and-mouse with the viewer, and to his credit he does a very good job, but the playful predictability holds the film back. Blowout and Body Double are more cogent and integrated, and, along with Carrie and Scarface, they are the movies I consider his best. But Dressed to Kill is still gripping and scary, and it disturbs in its stark view of male-female sexual relations as being fraught with violence and hostility.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate In '80's Creepy Mystery/Suspense
Review: I remember the first time I watched this masterpiece of suspense. I was 9 years old, and my mom had seen it at the theatre, and was freaked out and wanted to watch me freak out. It was great. If you love scary or suspensful movies this is a must see. Yeah, it may be dated as far as clothes and hairstyles, but so what? If it's well written and acted it's worth watching, and this film definately is.
This is one of Brian DePalma's best films, next to "Carrie" and "Sisters". It was completely unpredictable and frightening.
The story concerns a middle aged woman(Angie Dickinson, in her best film), unhappily married to a man who "stinks in bed". She sees a psychiatrist(Michael Caine) to deal with her passionless marriage. Sexually frustrated, she decides to have an affair, which leads to a horrifying discovery AND THEN an unexpected, gruesome surprise for her. Nancy Allen plays a high priced call girl who witnesses "a tall, blonde woman wearing dark glasses" in the aftermath of a murder and Keith Gordon plays Angie Dickinson's son who, in cahoots with Nancy Allen's character sets about discovering the identity of "the blonde woman" before Nancy Allen's character is charged with the murder.
It's high voltage suspense throughout, and will keep you guessing. And now isn't that what all great mysteries are about? Check this one out, it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: CAN'T WAIT
Review: I cannot wait for this movie to come out on DVD. Especially with widescreen format and all of those special features. This is a great suspense movie with masterful direction by Brian De Palma.
Rating:
Summary: A really good thriller
Review: Watching a really good thriller is like enjoying a feast after a day long fast. Absolute Satisfaction !!! This movie embodies all the elements of a great thriller ... * A taut script * Well Developed Characters * Hard hitting acting. The story begins with Angie Dickinson, a bored housewife largely unsatisfied with her husband who yearns for more. On one of her visits to the museum she befriends a strange man and has an affair with him. She enjoys her time spent with the stranger realising how much she was missing when she is with her husband and on one such occassion while returning home she is brutally murdered in an elevator. A young lady (Nancy Allen) catches a glimpse of the murderer and she initially becomes a suspect and later a prime witness. Giving away any more of the story would be a crime as the several twists and turns this movie takes are what make it so engrossing. A tad slow moving at times the movie picks up the pace almost immediately before the viewer realises with some finely nuanced performances by Michael Caine,Angie Dickinson,Nancy Allen and Dennis Franz among others. The suspense is maintained throughout the film and makes you want to watch it again and again. This movie is an absolute must for a collector and I hope the Special Edition does some justice to this fine movie. Also recommend watching the following ... * The Usual Suspects * Out of Sight * The Rear Window.
Rating:
Summary: Slick thriller! Erotic and scary!
Review: A very tense and intriguing story of bored housewife, Angie Dickinson, who takes a fatal plunge into an adulterous affair and ends up being slashed to death by a mysterious killer. The ensuing hunt for her stalker provides a gripping and well plotted film. Dressed to Kill first aired on cable back in 1981, and I only remember some of the racier scenes with Dickinson in various forms of undress in a shower, a taxi cab, a bed, and an elevator. When I finally sat through the whole film, I was impressed by De Palma's direction, with his Hitchcockian style, but also the clever twists which keep the viewer guessing right up to the end. The film still manages to deliver quite a few shocks more than 20 years after its release. Sexy? Yes! Scary? yes! Worth viewing? Absolutely!
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Nancy Allen's showcase
Review: My wife--whose idea of a movie is song-and-dance-- and I viewed this film together recently. Unbelievably, she solved the "mystery" before the tape was half finished. That is worth a two star deduction. Caine did a truthful job with his actually small role. Angie Dickenson was a terrific slashee. But, I got the feeling that Mike and Angie weren't meant to be the stars. DRESSED TO KILL boiled down to a nearly full length showcase of Nancy Allen for husband-director De Palma. She is great to look at and handled her hooker role like a trouper. I'd recommend this film despite its' shortcomings. Who can forget that taxi ride and the kid's electronic genius?
Rating:
Summary: A great tribute to Hitchcock's Psycho
Review: Brian DePalma has been known to be a devoted Hitchcock fan and here he shows it. This film is tribute to Hitchcock's PSYCHO but it does manage to stand on it's own. DRESSED TO KILL is about a bored housewife(Angie Dickinson) who spends one afternoon having casual sex with a stranger. After discovering a terrible secret in the stranger's house she leaves only to be then murdered in the elevator by a mysterious assailant. A prostitute (Nancy Allen)sees the woman dying and as result starts to track down the killer with the help of the victim's son only to be then pursued by the killer also. The film features great performances in particular from Michael Caine who plays the psychiatrist of the victim and from Angie Dickinson who though does not talk in the majority of the time she is in the film manages to convey a mix of emotions in a subtle and affecting way. It also features great camera work from DePalma who is able to use the camera to create a lot of suspense by use of double screens, close-ups and slow motion. The film is not concerned with the details of the story, it only cares about affecting you right down to your gut. It succeeds brilliantly! The ending is not a huge surprise but it's not a letdown. The two scenes that struck me as the most impressive were the murder in the elevator and the sequence in a museum. Hitch would have been proud.
Rating:
Summary: One of The Best Movies I've Ever Seen
Review: Dressed to Kill is one of the greatest movies ever made, in my opinion. The Gallery scene, where the housewife pursues and gets pursued by a mysterious starnger is great and suspenseful. The elevator murder is one of the most memorable death scenes in movie history. And the part in the subway when the killer and a gang are pursuing a prostotute is tense in many directions. If you want a good horror film that not campy, stupid or just plain boring get Dressed to Kill.
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