Angie Dickinson, Anneka Di Lorenzo, Brandon Maggart

A transsexual murders one of his psychiatrist's patients, and now he's after the prostitute who witnessed it.

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70% liked it

7,998 ratings

R, 105 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: January 1, 1980

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

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Flixster Reviews (369)


  • February 23, 2009
    Its' psychological dramatics allow it to do little more than cruise around as an artsy exploitation film filled with sex and gore. It always looks good, and DePalma excels at laying lots of nice detailed personal touches on us and creating suspense by stringing together a number ...( read more)of thrilling moments that can be graphic.

    Outstandingly stylish, Dressed to Kill is a first-rate thriller demonstrating Brian DePalma's talent, not just for visually stunning filmmaking, but scary material as well. An homage to Master Hitchcock's Psycho, but with a much more explicit overtone.
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  • July 6, 2008
    "So Fucked Up" highlight: shower/mirror scene
  • March 22, 2008
    For those of you that don't remember Brian DePalma when he was first starting out in big name features, let me tell you that he loved to rip off Alfred Hitchcock. Dressed to Kill is a prime example of what Hitchcock might have done if he had the R rating at his disposal.
  • January 14, 2008
    This is a strange, strange movie. Is it Brian De Palma's attempt to lend artistic value to camp? A poorly-acted surrealist homage to Hitchcock? Or an attempt at a transsexual thriller? All I know is that I was really digging it up until the shitty ass ending. It goes on FOREVER. ...( read more)There's a psychological explanation of the killer's behavior lifted right out of Psycho, Nancy Allen babbling incessantly about the nature of a sex change operation, and the longest "one last scare! HAHAHA" sequence in the world. The film could have ended gracefully, and with ten minutes to spare, but I guess De Palma was feeling long-winded that day.

    Anyway, I love how retroactively ingenious this is. The plot is built like a house of cards, entirely around coincidences, and it's so ridiculous that it actually works - and well, too. It's an incredibly exciting movie, even outside of the loony transvestite slashings, and it doesn't hurt that De Palma is his typical brilliant self behind the camera. If you fixed up the 27-year-old film and fashions, you could easily pass this off as an exceptional looking modern movie.

    Anyway, I'm really not sure what this movie is. It sure fulfills all the requirements for camp, like the God-awful performances; seriously, Nancy Allen, your career's waiting for you in Hell. At first I wondered Michael Caine was there since he's normally a great actor, but I checked his IMDB page and he's done a surprising amount of shit. I guess he's one of those "do whatever comes my way" actors. The violence content is surprisingly low for camp, though, so I guess it's just a suspense movie with really bad movie elements.

    I'll never be totally sold on Brian de Palma but this almost makes me want to give Blow Out another shot. Almost.
  • December 7, 2007
    It really annoys me when you get smart-ass cinephile types dismissing De Palma's work as mere Hitchcock pastiche, just to display the little knowledge they've acquired. At his best, De Palma just uses Hitchcock as a jumping-off point for his own style of suspense virtuosity, whic...( read more)h is closer here to Dario Argento and the Italian giallo tradition. Nobody ever mentions it, probably because they're too busy ranting about shower scenes and cross-dressing, but the scene which most closely mimics "Psycho" is the psychiatrist's explanation of the crimes near the end.

    I'd love to give this five stars but I just can't. Some of the acting is a bit wobbly, with Michael Caine alternately excellent or amateurish depending on the scene; his meeting with Dr Levy on the staircase is terrible. Though he's been accused of misogyny many times, the most offensive thing I find here is De Palma's depiction of the inside of the insane asylum, though it could be argued that the scene in question is just the nightmare of a character who would know no better.
  • September 17, 2009
    An average early De Palma thriller. One thumb up.

    58/100
  • August 15, 2009
    Bizarre movie. DePalma shows a very Hitchcockian side in this one.
  • August 12, 2009
    One of Mr. DePalma's better thrillers. Recommended.
  • June 19, 2009
    A bizarre and perversly erotic thriller. De Palma shocks us right off the bat and keeps us guessing until the end. I suppose this is the kind of film Hitchcock would have made if the censors allowed him. Michael Caine helps elevate the sleazy material and the cinematograhy is cle...( read more)ver and impressive.
  • March 15, 2009
    I thought this was very creepy & chilling. Sure i know the similarities to psycho,but I don't really see it as a hack job. It had a whole different feel to me then psycho. De palma gets a lot of hack flack w/the whole hitchcock tie in but if u were going to do suspense thriller/h...( read more)orror who would U refer to? I don't think he's stealing ideas as much as he's using the foundation on which to build his house of horror on. Just as a musician uses the same scales as everyone does but puts his own style or imprint on. Is the acting 80's hockie? Sure! A better cast would have made all the difference. I mean Nancy Allen? Angie Dickinson? What did U expect. These were woman made for 80's porn or daytime soap operas. I was never a big Michael Caine guy anyway. Can U say overrated? Besides,Pyscho isn't exactly filled w/great acting performances. It was the concept and vision of hitchcock that made the difference. I actually thought the acting was pretty subpar in pyscho. fortunately in this genre' U don't need great acting to be effective and this is just that! Its creepy! Job well done! U want academy award acting rent fried green tomatoes & have a nap. U want suspense & a shiver up ur spine rent movies like these.

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  • citawijaya
    March 26, 2008
    Why hasn't nobody write in here?
    I think it's a real classic since I didn't know that Brian DePalma rips it off from Hitchcock's movie, I don't have any authority to say anything...

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Dressed to Kill Trivia


  • WHAT MOVIE DID MICHAEL CAINE PLAY A PSYCHIATRIST WITH AN ALTER EGO THAT KILLS  Answer »
  • This masterpiece has a famous scene in an elevator, where a woman gets slashed with a razor.  Answer »
  • He's appeared in 'Dressed To Kill', 'Goldmember', 'Miss Congeniality' and 'Batman Begins' - name him.  Answer »
  • In 1946, Basil Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes for the last time. What was the movie's title?  Answer »

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