Dressed To Kill: Special Edition (1980)

Written & Directed by Brian De Palma

Produced by George Litto

Starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz, David Margulies

After the widespread success of his screen adaptations of Stephen King's "Carrie" and John Farris' "The Fury", one might have surmised that Brian De Palma would become a mainstay of the fantasy-horror genre. But who would have guessed that his next project would be an offbeat comedy? Although "Home Movies" (1979) revealed another facet of his screen personality, it was neither a financial or critical success of the calibre of his previous works. In turn, it brought him back to the "Hitchcockian" styled thrillers that, with his next picture, would earn him the tag of the "Master of the Macabre". All of the critics over the years who have cited De Palma as the "modern Hitchcock" would surely attest that of all his works, "Dressed To Kill" is definitely his "Psycho". That's not a dispersion on the film, nor an accusation of plagiarism, more a knowing nod that amidst every influential director's career there are moments that shine like diamonds. "Dressed To Kill" was an impressive passage to De Palma's crossing into the eighties.

Frustrated house-wife Kate Miller (Dickinson) is becoming disenchanted within her second marriage, slowly succumbing to desires of indulging her adventurous fantasies. Turning to her therapist, Dr. Robert Elliot (Caine), her intended seduction goes astray, leading her into the arms of a stranger at a New York art gallery. Running from her afternoon rendezvous, she is brutally murdered by an unknown woman with a straight-razor in a downtown elevator. The only witness to her murder, small-time hooker Liz Blake (Allen), swiftly becomes the prime suspect in the crime by hard-boiled detective Marino (Franz).

Coming to Liz' aid, Kate's son Peter (Gordon) believes her story of a phantom assailant, and together they begin to investigate his mother's psychiatrist. Determined that Kate's murderer must be one of Elliot's patients, their amateur detective work turns up the mysterious, and seemingly homicidal, Bobby, a transsexual who has been blocked by the doctor from gender-reassignment surgery. As Elliot becomes increasingly aware that he may be protecting a murderer, Bobby twigs to the fact that she is being tailed. Rather than surrender her identity, she calculates to eliminate, one by one, those that would expose her.

De Palma's film has dated a little, and gore-fans will be horrified to learn that there is only ONE murder in the whole film (but what a murder it is!), but for those of you that like your psycho-thrillers in the "Psycho" vein, "Dressed To Kill" is one of the greats of the genre. What impresses most twenty years on is De Palma's assured and precise direction as he takes the viewer on a playful journey through half-truths and delightful red herrings ala Argento. If you've seen Argento's "Bird With The Crystal Plumage" (1970), you might know what to expect, but that's the best hint I can give without blowing the shock climactic revelation. Even going in knowing how things were going to turn out, I was surprised at just how flawlessly De Palma sets up audience expectation, then pulls the rug out from under you time and again. Of course, much of this is drawn from his knowledge, and mastery, of cinematic conventions and visual red herrings. That amazing split-screen effect he utilised in "Carrie" is used here to striking effect, as are point-of-view shots, and jolting usage of flash-backs and time compression.

Be it Ralf D. Bode's striking cinematography, Gerald Greenberg's highly effective editing, or Pino Donaggio's wonderfully lush score, the composite elements of De Palma's film come together in perfect unison to make for a truly enchanting evening's viewing. Donnagio's score is simply breathtaking, and one of the best of his many compositions from the eighties alongside his work on "The Howling" (1980), "The Black Cat" (1981) and "Blow Out" (1981). It is a work that, although at times marginally Hermann-esque (but what thriller doesn't owe a debt to Hermann's "Psycho" score?), still can stand alone amongst the best of them. Of the remainder, De Palma's cast is uniformly excellent with Caine, Dickinson, Allen, Franz and Gordon all delivering outstanding performances and gelling together as a fine ensemble cast. Caine is most particularly noteworthy for his subtle performance as Elliot, a man with almost as many secrets himself as those he must guard through professional confidentiality. Many find it easy to dismiss Caine on a number of his career choices only to point towards his 'return to form' in the recent "Cider House Rules" (1999). Lest we all forget "Educating Rita" (1983), "The Holcroft Covenant" (1985), "Mona Lisa" (1986), "Jack The Ripper" (1988) and "Blood And Wine" (1997) so quickly…

MGM's Special Edition disc presents De Palma's film the only way it should be seen…in its original Panavision widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35. The image has been anamorphically enhanced and now looks about the best it ever has, with one reservation for prospective viewers. Shot largely with soft-focus filters, the image is not going to look like the pin-sharp picture clarity many are used to from major wide-release discs and may disappoint some. Understand though, that this is how the picture is meant to look, and is not a problem of the disc's transfer. In general though, the film now looks better than it ever has (dated colour schemes and all), improving dramatically on previous video & laserdisc versions. Audio has also been tweaked with a new Dolby 5.1 track that, although drawing attention to the age of the source materials, creates a rather effective mood and some nice ambience (check out the thunderstorm at the climax). For cinema purists, the original theatrical monaural track has also been included.

Extras-wise, we get a nice array of bits and pieces that full well justify the Special Edition tag. The obvious bonus is the ability to play either the original Theatrical version or the Unrated Director's Cut (a whopping 13 seconds longer), and comes as a welcome inclusion for film collectors. Although not benefitted by an Audio commentary, the 42m "Making Of Dressed To Kill" documentary more than compensates the omission by tracking the genesis of the film, its production, and eventual critical backlash with all new interviews with the cast & production. Three short featurettes (Slashing Dressed To Kill; Unrated, R-rated & TV Comparison; Dressed To Kill: An Appreciation by Keith Gordon) compliment the main doco, though the first two tend to cover the same territory. Also included is the original theatrical trailer (16x9 & 1.85 format), as well as two Photo Galleries comprised of an animated Production Stills gallery & Advertising gallery. On top of that, the disc is packaged with a four page booklet. All up, a great little Special Edition!

"Dressed To Kill" is an outstanding thriller from an era where cutting-edge filmmakers like De Palma were pushing the envelope ever wider so that one day film-goers might have been treated to bolder, more adult-oriented cinema. As such it has been a delight to revisit it after all this time, albeit in (finally) undiluted form. Gore-fans may not find much within it to satisfy their cinematic leanings, but older film fans and those that champion the power of suggestion and a good mystery, will find much to engage them in one of De Palma's finer works. MGM's new DVD Special Edition is the only way to see it for home audiences, and comes with my highest recommendation.

International specifications: NTSC format disc; Language options in English Dolby 5.1, English & French mono; Subtitle options in French & Spanish

Review by Mike Thomason

© 2001, Icon In Black Media