Kate Miller isn't content with her life of utter monotony, and she has been particularly frustrated with her sex life as of late. After she fails to seduce her shrink, she eventually crosses paths with a mysterious individual, of whom she sleeps with that very same day. When she awakens, she leaves his apartment, but has to turn around when she realizes that she has left her wedding ring back in his flat. As soon as the elevator doors open, she is violently attacked by a woman dressed in black, and her corpse, along with a glimpse of this assailant, is discovered by Liz, a high price prostitute. Taken in for police custody, not only is Liz the lone witness to what may have occurred, but also a potential suspect. Worse yet, Kate's murderer is still on the loose, and may be setting their eyes on her now!
If you were to talk to me whenever I decide to venture out into the real world, you'll occasionally hear me wax poetic over the works of American filmmaker Brian De Palma. The man has directed some of the most celebrated pieces of cinema over the past forty years, including Carrie, Scarface, and The Untouchables. He's often compared to esteemed legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, though with an added sexual and occasionally shockingly violent edge to the pictures of his own. Despite all of that, I realize that I have never sat down to watch a good chunk of his filmography. I figured that it would be better late than never, and after much debating, settled with one of his "breakout" pieces: 1980's shocker known as Dressed to Kill.
Garnering much attention during the time of its release (and even being forced to trim thirty seconds in order to avoid the dreaded "X" rating), it's not hard to see why this could create a bit of controversy. Palma's script doesn't exactly paint the New York City found within Dressed to Kill as a very optimistic one. It's quite dour, with glimmers of hope found mostly throughout its first thirty or forty minutes. It's very likely that De Palma's earlier motion pictures seem to be equally inspired by not just Hitchcock, but the Italian "Giallo" pieces that were all the rage during this time period. The handling of the violent sequences are shot in such a threatening manner, though they obviously aren't nearly as visually vibrant as something found in say, Suspiria. But the camera work in Dressed to Kill might be its best attribute. There is one lengthy sequence which involves Kate (Angie Dickinson of Rio Bravo fame) and a stranger seemingly pursuing one another inside of an art museum, and the entire thing is devoid of any dialogue (save for some occasional grunts), letting the camera and the accompanying score by longtime De Palma collaborator Pino Donaggio, who delivers eerie, yet savagely beautiful compositions, do nearly all of the work.
It should be mentioned that obviously what makes most of Dressed to Kill's suspenseful moments work is a very strong cast. Our leads work in fields that can often cause depression: Michael Caine is a hardened psychiatrist, Angie Dickinson is a bored housewife, and Nancy Allen is a call girl. There are exceptional performances all around, and it made me realize that I had never seen Allen in much outside of Carrie and Robocop, which left me feeling as though her performance surprised me the most. I'm a little upset that she, along with Caine and De Palma were apparently nominated at the Razzie Awards for their jobs in front of and behind the camera, but I've read that Allen also received a Golden Globe nod, so that's soothes the pain a bit. They help make a story, though not the most extravagant on paper, feel all the more interesting than your average "whodunit" picture.
Alas, here's where I have to be a bit of a debbie downer: while Dressed does contain some rather clever elements and twists, I'm certain that it could trigger a good chunk of modern day cinephiles, and some themes and commentary would absolutely not fly in today's world. There's a depiction of African American males at a Subway station that's fairly cliched, and the movie's primary twist and its subsequent explanation/analysis afterwards could truly ruffle some feathers. Personally, outside of some exchanges between Allen and supporting actor Keith Gordon towards the end, I didn't find it to be too bothersome. But OOF, those final ten minutes sure do feel like a slap in the face, and instead of ending on a more ominous note, it goes for the kind cheap finale that always drives me nuts. Still, considering everything else that leads up to that eyerolling moment, this is only a small black mark on an otherwise fine production.
I'm not entirely sure about whether Dressed to Kill even qualifies as a horror movie, because it bears a closer resemblance to an erotic thriller/mystery hybrid more than anything else. Still, as I have stated in the past, the genres are more closely affiliated with one another than the average joe would care to admit, and both desire the same reaction: to shock, frighten, and occasionally disturb you. Regardless of whatever you wish to file it under, it's a damn fine film and one of the very best that I've seen from the director. You can currently pick up a rather fine looking DVD or Blu-Ray from Criterion, and it's also available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Tomorrow, the VHSPS folks are back a second round, and it seems as though they're bringing a couple of familiar faces with them into the fire!
No comments:
Post a Comment