Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
91%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Kiss Me Deadly is a film that transcends the boundaries of genre and time, leaving an indelible mark on cinema history. Robert Aldrich’s direction is a masterclass in style and atmosphere, with every frame dripping with a sense of impending doom. The film’s iconic imagery and dialogue have become ingrained in pop culture, with references popping up in everything from Tarantino films to music videos. The performances are pitch-perfect, with Ralph Meeker’s Mike Hammer embodying the quintessential hard-boiled detective. The film’s nihilistic themes and shocking climax make it a true classic of film noir, and a must-see for any cinephile.
Kiss Me Deadly is the kind of movie that makes you want to grab a martini and a fedora and pretend you’re a hard-boiled detective. The dialogue is so sharp and stylish, you’ll be quoting it for days. And the plot? Well, let’s just say it’s a wild ride that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you’re a fan of film noir, this one is a must-see. And if you’re not, well, you might just become one after watching this annihilating masterpiece.
Production Company(ies)
Maïa Films, Arte France Cinéma Les Films, d’ Ici
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Clay Street, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1955
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 45m
-
Language(s):English, Italian, Spanish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 18, 1955 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 19, 2001
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Maxine Cooper, Gaby Rodgers, Juano Hernandez, Cloris Leachman, directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Mickey Spillane, A I Bezzerides, crime, drama, box office gross, budget, reviewed by Richard Brody, Chris Nashawaty, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Mark Kermode, Nick Schager, Mike Massie, Chris Barsanti, Ángel Fernández-Santos, Rob Aldam, Geoffrey O’Brien, Fernando F Croce, MPAA rating, film noir, private detective, murder mystery, scientist, femme fatale, nihilistic, influential, subversive, Pandora’s box, brutal, unflinching, cynical, sleazy, aggressive, McGuffin, science fiction, character development, cinematography, production value, classic
Worldwide gross: $952,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $11,993,229
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,901
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,307,877
US/Canada gross: NA
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.): $410,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $5,165,151
Production budget ranking: 1,872
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,781,434
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,046,644
ROI to date (est.): 51%
ROI ranking: 1,145
Albert Dekker – Dr. G.E. Soberin
Paul Stewart – Carl Evello
Maxine Cooper – Velda
Gaby Rodgers – Gabrielle
Juano Hernandez – Eddie Yeager
Director(s)
Robert Aldrich
Writer(s)
Mickey Spillane, A. I. Bezzerides
Producer(s)
Robert Aldrich
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (1)
The actors’ idiosyncratic voices, wrapped around such chrome-plated poetry as “the great whatsit” and “va-va-voom,” are as hauntingly musical as Aldrich’s images.
September 12, 2016
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
June 16, 2011 | Rating: B+
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
This independently produced low-budget film was a shining example for the New Wave directors — Truffaut, Godard, et al — who found it proof positive that commercial films could accommodate the quirkiest and most personal of visions.
March 27, 2009
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The trail leads to a series of amorous dames, murder-minded plug-uglies and dangerous adventures that offer excitement but have little clarity to let the viewer know what’s going on.
October 30, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Kiss Me Deadly delivers the ‘white-hot thrills’ and ‘blood-red kisses’ promised by its publicity, as well as reminding us whence Tarantino stole his best riffs.
June 24, 2006
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Never was Mike Hammer’s name more fitting than in Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich’s blisteringly nihilistic noir.
May 1, 2006
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The climax is so startlingly unusual that this Robert Aldrich-directed picture safely becomes unforgettable.
August 23, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
By the time the movie comes to its gonzo Pandora’s box conclusion on the beach, neither script nor screen have been able to keep up with reason, preferring instead to simply stay out of Hammer’s way.
July 22, 2020
Chris Barsanti
Eyes Wide Open
An astonishing exercise in style without precedents. [Full Review in Spanish]
March 10, 2020
Ángel Fernández-Santos
El Pais (Spain)
The kind of films which takes your breath away and makes you grateful for independent cinema.
August 1, 2019
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer represents the deformed endproduct of a thousand 1940s tough-guy movies, transformed by now into a leisure-oriented 1950s man more interested in his hi-fi and his sports car than in heroics.
August 13, 2018
Geoffrey O’Brien
The New York Review of Books
Aldrich’s annihilating masterpiece, one of the decade’s key works
December 10, 2012
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion…
Plot
A frightened woman is running barefoot on a highway, trying desperately to flag a car. After several cars pass her by, the woman sees another car approaching, and to make sure either the car stops, or she’s killed, she stands in the path of the oncoming car. Private Investigator Mike Hammer is at the wheel, and after almost hitting the woman, he tells her to get in. The woman’s name is Christina Bailey. She is obviously on the run, being barefoot and wearing nothing but a trench coat, and the scent of fear. Whoever was after her eventually catches up with them. Christina has information they want, but dies while being questioned. The killers fake an accident by pushing Hammer’s car off the road, but he survives, waking up in hospital three days later. As Mike starts to investigate Christina’s death, he’s told by the police to stay out of it, but the hard-nosed private investigator proceeds anyway. Little did he know that Christina’s secret would lead to death and destruction.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ralph Meeker embodies Mickey Spillane’s cynical, sleazy private investigator Mike Hammer with an aggressiveness that’s almost frightening; he really seems to be enjoying it as he beats bad guys to a pulp.
Robert-Aldrich.jpg
