Dressed to Kill (1980)

NEUTRAL

Various

81%

1980, Mystery & thriller, 1h 45m

RT Critics’ Score: 81% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 10 nominations

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Critics Consensus

With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma’s signature strengths

Audience Consensus

Dressed to Kill” is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and wondering who the killer is. It’s a stylish murder mystery that’s both thrilling and suspenseful. While some critics may say that the plot makes no sense, I say who cares when the visuals are this stunning? Brian De Palma may not be concerned with content, but he sure knows how to make a movie that’s visually stunning. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t forget to lock your doors before you go to bed tonight.

Storyline

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.

Production Company(ies)
Almega Projects O2 Filmes,

Distributor
GoodTimes Home Video [us], Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Philadelphia Museum of Art – 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

MPAA / Certificate
R

Year of Release
1980

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Mono
Aspect ratio:

2.35 : 1
Runtime:

1h 45m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2001

Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller

Keyword(s)
starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz, David Margulies, directed by Brian De Palma, written by Brian De Palma, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Michael Blowen, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Eric Henderson, Roger Ebert, Nell Minow, Tom Huhn, Michael Bronski, Taylor Baker, Eddie Harrison, Nicholas Bell, MPAA rating R, George Litto, GoodTimes Home Video, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo, prostitution, murder mystery, witness, inventor son, police, killer, identity, motivation, suspense, thriller, horror, erotic thriller, mirrors, transvestite, sleazy, excessive

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $31,899,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $119,887,259
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 939
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,073,856

US/Canada gross: $31,899,000
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $24,429,204
Production budget ranking: 1,262
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,155,126
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $82,302,928
ROI to date (est.): 219%
ROI ranking: 595

Cast & Crew

Michael Caine

Angie Dickinson

Nancy Allen

Keith Gordon

Dennis Franz

Doctor Robert Elliott

Kate Miller

Liz Blake

Peter Miller

Detective Marino

Michael Caine – Doctor Robert Elliott
Angie Dickinson – Kate Miller
Nancy Allen – Liz Blake
Keith Gordon – Peter Miller
Dennis Franz – Detective Marino
David Margulies – Dr. Levy

Brian De Palma

George Litto

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Brian De Palma

Writer(s)
Brian De Palma

Producer(s)
George Litto

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
1 win & 10 nominations

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Michael Blowen

Dave Kehr

Variety Staff

Eric Henderson

Roger Ebert

Boston Globe

Chicago Reader

Variety

Slant Magazine

Chicago Sun-Times

DRESSED TO KILL
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (11)
Dressed To Kill is a nail-biting, seat-squirming, stylish murder mystery with a brain.

April 28, 2018

Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Originality has never been a high value in the genre-bound aesthetic of filmmaking, but De Palma cheapens what he steals.

September 26, 2007

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Despite some major structural weaknesses, the cannily manipulated combination of mystery, gore and kinky sex adds up to a slick commercial package.

September 26, 2007

Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Inflates paperback pulp psychology into something like a plot, all the better to demonstrate that filmmaking is an inherently visual storytelling.

September 2, 2006 | Rating: 4/4

Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
DePalma is not yet an artist of Hitchcock’s stature, but he does earn the right to a comparison.

October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
An A for style, a D for substance, with a plot that makes no sense at all.

July 16, 2004 | Rating: 3/5

Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Treated simply as a suspense tale, Dressed to Kill is nearly perfect. There are however, disturbing aspects of the work, including some rather insulting sexist overtones which permeate the film.

May 20, 2022

Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
De Palma admits he is mainly concerned with the visuals and how they affect an audience… But his lack of concern for content is just plain sloppy.

May 12, 2022

Michael Bronski
Gay Community News (Boston)
Episode 8: Sex, Lies and Predator

August 28, 2021 | Rating: 60/100

Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
…a jaw-droppingly slick thriller…

March 15, 2021 | Rating: 4/5

Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
A hysterical nightmare of repressed sexuality and gender identity, it is arguably De Palma’s masterpiece, but certainly a film you won’t forget.

October 21, 2020 | Rating: 4/5

Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
The murder mystery at the forefront is tiresomely plain and detached, even if viewers can’t guess the culprit prior to the big reveal.

September 6, 2020 | Rating: 2/10

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…

Plot
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.

Trivia