The premise is simple. Woman in black coat and dark sun glasses slashes up a female patient that belongs to Michael Caine and the proceeds to hunt down a witness to the murder who happens to be a prostitute. This has all the flair you will expect from De Palma and his style is all over the place here. However the film is flawed and does not make any sense, especially on repeat viewings, but this does not detract from the fact that there is still lots of trademark De Palma camera shots and suspense work. So it is a little bit like a De Palma movie without the brains, but all the De Palma suspense. If you are still asking "Well what exactly is a De Palma movie like without the brains but all the suspense?" then you will probably have to see it to understand what I mean.

Originally this movie was cut but has been restored to its full uncut version. In the opening shower sequence, the following changes were made to avoid an X rating in the USA release. Two close-ups of Kate's fingers caressing her pubic hair were replaced with one shot of her caressing her belly, and the other shot being her breast. Two shots of the man raping Kate, showing the two bodies around the waist moving, were cut. A shot of the man's hand covering Kate's own hand over her pubic area was also cut. These have been restored here. In the scene where Kate is brutally slashed to death with a straight razor by Bobbi in the elevator, the scene was also "cut" to meet with the MPAA's requirements. In the original version, there were 2 extreme close-ups showing the razor slashing Kate on her right cheek and then gashing her neck. These shots were substituted with long shots of the killer assaulting Kate and one quick close up of her neck, immediately followed by another long shot, in order to avoid an X rating. These have been restored. In the last scene of the film, where Bobbi slashes Liz's throat with a razor was cut, but also has been restored here. Some of the sexual dialogue had also been changed but is restored here but not entirely. There is still some dialogue that remains cut or changed, but this probably doesn't worry anyone much because the acting at times is quite dismal in this little slasher flick. Overall the cuts have mostly been restored here with a few still missing but this is not really that much of an issue because its not a great film anyway and certainly the restored cuts do not really add anything new accept maybe a tiny bit more sexual and violent content that does not increase or reduce the films impact. With or without the cuts it is still the same vehicle which is not really something you can say about all cut films.

Truth be told, I have seen it more than once and maybe you will too. The only problem is that it is not original and the acting can be more than a little bad even at the best of times. Still an enjoyable old romp in a popcorn fodder sort of way, but that is about it.


The Latest Fashion...In Murder!   January 6, 2004
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

DRESSED TO KILL (1980) is definetly one of Brian De Palma's masterpieces (the other is CARRIE) for sure! As much as this movie is compared to the great Alfred Hitchcock's best movies (PSYCHO, VERTIGO), this movie also reminds me of Dario Argento's DEEP RED and Mario Bava's BLOOD AND BLACK LACE! The visual style is just awesome with its camerawork, especially in the museum scene and the subway chase! The music by Pino Donnagio (THE HOWLING, TWO EVIL EYES) is perfect and creates the appropriate atmosphere, especially during the elevator scene! But the acting by all involved, especially Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson (brilliantly playing against type), Dennis Franz, and Keith Gordon, is truly what makes this film so much fun! A real standout in the slasher wave of 1980!
MGM truly gave us the definitive release of DRESSED TO KILL on DVD! First off, you get the option of watching it in the theatrical version or the UNRATED version, both in 16x9 widescreen and looking fabulous (I saw the unrated version, which is what I always vouch for)! Secondly, there are some great documentaries on the making of this movie, including the way it was censored to earn theatrical release; they even go as far as to compare scenes from the theatrical, unrated and the NETWORK TELEVISION versions! There's also an animated photo gallery with the music from the museum scene in the background and an enlightening advertising gallery. Note that I haven't summarized this movie because DRESSED TO KILL is that good; you simply have to see it for yourself if you haven't seen it already! Make sure you see it unrated, and tell 'em Bobbi sent ya!


Bobbi is the perfect girl for the job: homicide.   November 24, 2003
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Meet Bobbi. She's just the kind of woman who can get insanely jealous at the flick of a switch. And then she'll turn deadly. She's one of therapist Dr Elliot's clients. Meet Liz Blake. She has clients of her own. She's a hooker and a key witness to the murder of one of Elliot's clients. A mother and a woman who likes to sleep around. The son of the murdered woman and Liz team up to hunt for the killer Bobbi and put a stop to all the madness and confusion...that is if they know who they're really dealing with...

I really really liked DTK....it had something more. It feels like atmospere but most likely it's because of the story line. It may feel like a nasty rip-off od PSYCHO but in fact, it's much more. You see, in PSYCHO there is the whole backstory told at the end. But in DTK the story is told little by little until the last scene...

RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:
Psycho (1960)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Basic Instinct (1992)

CAST
Michael Caine .....Doctor Robert Elliott
Angie Dickinson ..Kate Miller
Nancy Allen .........Liz Blake
Keith Gordon ......Peter Miller

THE MOVIE: 4/4

THE PICTURE QUALITY: 10/10 Fantastic! 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen is just how I like it. With little grain.

THE AUDIO QUALITY: 10/10 Here we have an option of either 5.1 surround or 2.0 mono. I perfer the 5.1 and so will you. There is a French language track presented in 2.0 mono.

THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Unrated version option (a minute or so longer than the theratical version), SEVERAL featurettes, a fantastic documentary, "Unrated Vs. R-Rated Vs. TV Rated comparison featurette, menu-based ad-gallery, booklet, trailer and another gallery (animated)

SUBTITLES: French and Spanish


A Great Special Edition for a Great Film   November 3, 2003
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

A remarkable thriller that's as funny, nerve-wracking and exciting as ever. So beautifully crafted that I wish more thrillers were like this.

MGM has done a spectacular job... the making of and still galleries are a class act... now if only they'd do one for DePalma's "Blow Out".


Has not lost its impact...   October 26, 2003
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

The master of the psych-erotic thriller, Brian De Palma, truly came into his own with this provocative piece of filmmaking. He does something unique, however, that sets him apart from other writer/directors, and that is he creates a work of pastiche, lovingly imitating and paying tribute to past masters of the genre, i.e., Hitchcock et al, though stamps his own inimitable signature, enabling anyone viewing the film to know without a shadow of a doubt that it is a Brian De Palma film. De Palma loves mixing dream sequences with reality. He uses this technique to shock, surprise and frighten the audience, and it works every time. In the opening scene of ~Dressed to Kill~, for example, Angie Dickenson is in the shower watching her husband shave through the glass. The eroticism begins slowly, the music is easy listening, lulling us into a sense of relaxation, while Angie starts to reach the inevitable conclusion from her actions, suddenly the woman is attacked from inside the shower, her husband oblivious to her screams for help. This technique pulls us into the film, keeping us on our toes at all times, because we never know what to expect next. Even though I have seen this film several times, this high suspense has not diminished in the slightest, because I still jump from my seat every time the killer appears from the shadows or is seen through the glass in the door.

Michael Caine plays the young psychiatrist, who discovers that one of his patients has been brutally murdered, slashed to death from a razor, and the perpetrator could well be one of his other patients. A beautiful prostitute, (Nancy Allen) witnesses part of the crime and sees the slasher in the mirror of the elevator. She herself becomes a suspect and finds herself followed by the killer. The ending is very clever and quite surprising because, as with all horror films, when you think it's over and can finally sit back and relax, it isn't over al all...

If you haven't had the opportunity to see this picture before, and you're in the mood for some erotic, psycho/slasher fun, by all means do so...and if you've seen it before, see it again, for the years have not lessened its impact in any way. Excellent viewing.