Review - Dressed to Kill

Before seeing this film, I thought Brian De Palma hardly had a misstep in his resume. Now I know that he has one but at least it is an interesting misstep. Another Hitchcock clone, (this one runs a very poor second to the awesome Body Double) De Palma perhaps needed someone else to write this for him.

The plot centers on the murder of a sexually frustrated housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), and the investigation headed by the witness to the murder, a young hooker Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), and the housewife’s teenage son Peter (Keith Gordon).

The first scene is reminiscent of the opening scene in another De Palma film; Carrie. Slow motion nude females, or in this case female. De Palma seems to be either a fetishist or he is being playful with nudity as it features in most of his films in one way or another. A lot had been made of the explicit scenes in the film but honestly you've probably seen saucier shampoo commercials. Dickinson's sexual throes are a bit embarrassing to be honest and seriously rival the pool in Showgirls for awfulness.

Once again though, De Palma manages to work in a two stunning set piece when the killer corners a victim in the lift, the subsequent results of such puts the life of a young working girl (Nancy Allen) in danger. The other is a sexual stalking in an art gallery, you can feel the sexual tension coming of Kate (Angie Dickinson) and the cat and mouse game with a would be suitor is all set to music and is what filmmaking is all about; an amazing scene. 

The strange addition of the nerdy but ingenious son of the murder victim, didn't really work for me but I guess for the rest of the film to work he had to included. Michael Caine's psychologist (Dr Robert Elliott) is a weird character too, his demeanour around his patients is odd to say the least!

All up not a great film but certainly one worth watching, this is despite its flaws and it's unnessessary double finale.