Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Reid V

  
  A meandering, nihilistic Noir that birthed the "golden briefcase" motif that still perplexes film students in universities across the country. Throwing us right in the action, director Robert Aldrich begins the film on the opening road with a marvelous title sequence. Our… More
  A meandering, nihilistic Noir that birthed the "golden briefcase" motif that still perplexes film students in universities across the country. Throwing us right in the action, director Robert Aldrich begins the film on the opening road with a marvelous title sequence. Our protagonist detective Mike Hammer, is barreling down the freeway, nearly careening off the road at every turn. This opening excellently sums up Hammer's ethos. He is a man that lacks caution, wastes no time in getting what he wants, and pays no mind to the lives he endangers in the process. Ralph Meeker is pretty good as the rabid anti-communist and barbaric detective. Unlike other noir detectives, such as Borgart's Phillip Marlowe, Meeker's Hammer isn't exactly charming. Yet, what he lacks in the charisma department he makes up for in sadism. Everything else you need to know about his character is summed up when a young woman asks him if he has ever read poetry. The look is hard to describe, but trust me when I say you don't want to be at the receiving end of it. However, this brute, our "hero", isn't so bad when compared to the rest of the lot in the film. Aldrich's world is very bleak. Everyone is out to get one-another, and even doctors accept kickbacks. Usually dabbling in petty divorce cases, Hammer stumbles into the apocalyptic underworld when the death of a young woman leads him to believe that there might be more dollars signs in his future. He ends up tracking down a mysterious box, much like the one in the Pandora myth, in which it's very opening portends some disastrous consequences. Without getting into specifics, one can glean from the film that Aldrich & screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides didn't think the realities of the nuclear age had positive consequences in American culture. While the film isn't perfect and has a tendency to wander, the ending is one of the ballsiest that I have encountered in a long time. This alone is worth moving it to the top of your queue. However, if you are one of those people who would still like to believe that the world is made out of hugs and rainbows, then you might want to leave this on the shelf for the time being.

• Tsubaki S

  
  The movie gets it's reputation for the second half for sure, and for the ending. The first half is very average by-the-number noir routine, then it starts to scalate and get better. Meeker is kind of dull in the lead role, but the rest of the cast is quite strong.

• Stefanie C

  
  Remember me...

• Steven C

  
  I want to say that "Kiss Me Deadly" is a great example of the film noir sensibilities of the 1950s, but that would be doing the film a disservice. There is so much more going on here than just noir. What makes the film so indelibly stylish is that it's picking up, ever… More
  I want to say that "Kiss Me Deadly" is a great example of the film noir sensibilities of the 1950s, but that would be doing the film a disservice. There is so much more going on here than just noir. What makes the film so indelibly stylish is that it's picking up, ever so slightly, on the emerging French New Wave. The composition of shots and certain edits reflect the ideas that are just starting to come out of France in the late 50s. There is also the devilish addition of that mysterious glowing box that adds a sort of Hitchockian (also seen in the constant shots of people's feet walking) flavor and plugs right into the Cold War threat of the era. Needless to say, "Kiss Me Deadly" is endlessly influential. On it's own however, the film is incredibly involving. Mike Hammer's casual sadism and misogyny are invigorating. These things are portrayed in a way that was never seen in a film like this. Looking back at 'film noir,' "Kiss Me Deadly" solidified these traits and upped the ante. This is an apocalyptic, dangerous, stylish entertainment that seems to have a neverending influence, from "Pulp Fiction" up to as recently as "The Ghost Writer."

• AJ V

  
  This is a pretty brutal, but stylized looking film. It's sort of a film noir, but it's more modern. The ending is very strange, and unexpected too. An interesting movie, I wasn't sure what to make of it.

• First L

  
  Kiss Me Deadly combines fifties ganster noir with crazy surrealism in what has to be one of the most offbeat dramas of any era. Ralph Meeker stars as Mike Hammer, a private detective who gets very little respect from anyone (as opposed to Humphrey Bogart's Marlowe), partly… More
  Kiss Me Deadly combines fifties ganster noir with crazy surrealism in what has to be one of the most offbeat dramas of any era. Ralph Meeker stars as Mike Hammer, a private detective who gets very little respect from anyone (as opposed to Humphrey Bogart's Marlowe), partly because he's almost as dirty as the criminals he's investigating, partly because of his cocky and arrogant manner. One night after picking up a hot blonde on a deserted road, they're ambushed and left for dead, only he survives. Out of the hospital, he begins to investigate the murder of the girl and tracks down his would-be killers. It all leads to something the girl knew about, an object everyone is eager to get their hands on. Even after seeing this film, I'm not sure what the object is. It's definitely the inspiration for the briefcase in "Pulp Fiction", but even if conventional wisdom says it's something atomic (this was after all, the atomic age), it doesn't explain anything. All that's really known is the characters in this movie are all pursuing death in one way or another, and just about all of them catch up to it.

• Randy T

  
  Ralph Meeker stars as Mike Hammer, a hard drinkin', hard lovin' private detective hot on the trail of a murderer. He survives being beaten, drugged, shot and even pushed off a cliff in an automobile in this conventional crime thriller with a very unconventional ending. The… More
  Ralph Meeker stars as Mike Hammer, a hard drinkin', hard lovin' private detective hot on the trail of a murderer. He survives being beaten, drugged, shot and even pushed off a cliff in an automobile in this conventional crime thriller with a very unconventional ending. The cast list reads like a virtual "who's who" of character actors with names like Cloris Leachman, Albert Dekker, Jack Elam, Percy Helton and Strother Martin. But, even with this bevy of future stars surrounding him it is Meeker that commands your attention. This is a role he was born to play and a film you shouldn't miss!

• Saskia D

  
  Interesting movie, somehow I found the style very fresh. I loved the beginning of the movie, it immediately sets the tone for the rest.

• Daniel H

  
  A tough-as-nails gumshoe Film Noir, a standout gem with perhaps the most memorable "whats-it" in the genre. A cast of amazingly memorable and sleazy characters, innumerable plot-twists, convenient death monologues, dames with guns, and bloody-fisted interrogations from a… More
  A tough-as-nails gumshoe Film Noir, a standout gem with perhaps the most memorable "whats-it" in the genre. A cast of amazingly memorable and sleazy characters, innumerable plot-twists, convenient death monologues, dames with guns, and bloody-fisted interrogations from a protagonist that genuinely seems to enjoy the violence he's inflicting as much as the audience has in watching the story unfold. In short: captivating, exacting, gritty fun. A classic that should not be overlooked.

• Veronique K

  
  "kiss me deadly" is not the conventional noir which populates in 1940s with detective hero scenarios, and contrarily our opportunistic protagonist could be the meanest dubious anti-hero who sticks to his chauvinist womanizing lifestyle without redeeming mercy. and the… More
  "kiss me deadly" is not the conventional noir which populates in 1940s with detective hero scenarios, and contrarily our opportunistic protagonist could be the meanest dubious anti-hero who sticks to his chauvinist womanizing lifestyle without redeeming mercy. and the catastrophe at last is the metaphoric phobia for the atomic age when chemical explosion is the deadliest phemonal crisis then. the femme fatale is ruthlessly trigger-happy pandora who unravel the lethal box of doom. the world surrounded within "kiss me deadly" is not entirely realistic decadence for the crimes of passion but a crooked labyrinth where man's avarice dominates, and the cynicism of such macabre is timelessly contemporary. the profile of our male protagonist is cleverly anchored within the dialogues at the opening sequence while a female asylum inmate hitchhikes his two-seat chic roadster: "a self-indulgent male who cares nothing but his clothes, his car, who only takes but never gives in a relationship."....then the horrid murder under the disguise of car wreck follows after a brutal kidnap. so this self-indulgent male happens to be a bedroom dick, who philanders his own girlfriend to profit from divorce cases, is eager to investigate the truth of the matter on his own, NOT for the sake of performing justice but to gain an angle of earning quick cashes. the process of mayhem is highly practiced within the procedue of obtaining what he yearns to know. so this self-obessed man intimates everyone involed and embraces to kiss every woman to attain his purposes. and that includes whoring his own sappy girlfriend AGAIN. BUT his effortless greed is futile since what he's after turns out to be an appartus of apolytic condemnation. this is an universe running amok with its sinister overpower, and its lack of heroic savior is modern syptom of aloof amorality which detonates the explosion of pandora's box to ruminate man's own misdemeanors. ralph meeker's self-assumptious chauvinist ends up being a dope who takes the bullet of punishment from a guiling female con, so he retreats into his maternal girlfriend's bossom to do away with the forseeing descent of pandora's evil venom...could he be immue? needless to say, the illuminator is ralph meeker's devilish womanizer as well as gaby rodger who emanates a modern sense of diabolism which rivals lena olin in "romeo is bleeding"...there's not much realism in "kiss me deadly" but an intriguing concept expressed in an utterly self-centered perspective.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Ralph Meeker, in the role of his life, plays the violent and fireproof Mike Hammer in a supremely enjoyable McCarthy-era/nuclear holocaust paranoid Noir. full of great moments like the opening scene and an epilogue that makes it feel like a genuine horror film.

• Michael G

  
  Unsettling and extremely cold noir. Kiss Me Deadly's got a very slick look to it, but it doesn't come at you with an attractive or even engaging or charismatic cast. Ralph Meeker's kind of a dopey (maybe that's the nature of Hammer--I don't know) Mike Hammer… More
  Unsettling and extremely cold noir. Kiss Me Deadly's got a very slick look to it, but it doesn't come at you with an attractive or even engaging or charismatic cast. Ralph Meeker's kind of a dopey (maybe that's the nature of Hammer--I don't know) Mike Hammer who makes all the wrong choices as he turns everything around him to shit. Then there's the case of his doormat assistant you can't bring yourself to feel sorry for. The ending was kind of cool but it was a case of too little too late. If you're on a total film noir bender it's a great place to turn and it might even be considered essential viewing as far as the genre's concerned, but by no means typical. I just wasn't blown away by it. Great opening (including a young Cloris Leachman) even if the titles were bad though.

• Stella D

  
  just wicked cool

• Ken S

  
  Great Noir. One of the best openings in film History.

• Aaron N

  
  Christina Bailey: Get me to that bus stop and forget you ever saw me. If we don't make it to the bus stop... Mike Hammer: We will. Christina Bailey: If we don't, remember me. This is an interesting noir with an asshole of a main protagonist. He breaks all kinds of rules to… More
  Christina Bailey: Get me to that bus stop and forget you ever saw me. If we don't make it to the bus stop... Mike Hammer: We will. Christina Bailey: If we don't, remember me. This is an interesting noir with an asshole of a main protagonist. He breaks all kinds of rules to get what he wants. The plot revolves around a woman's death leading to an investigation by the main character Hammer, to see what the big scheme of things is. What makes this movie worthwhile is three thingsl: The opening sequence is particularly good at getting things moving. A while into the movie has one of the biggest "what the fuck" moments I have ever seen. And the ending is particularly crazy, making things all worth it. Dr. G.E. Soberin: Listen to me, as if I were Cerberus barking with all his heads at the gates of hell. I will tell you where to take it, but don't... don't open the box!

• Eduardo T

  
  Not only is this film cool but good as well. I watched this because it was supposed to be influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. There's some similarities like a McGuffin. That McGuffin being the "Whatsit". That was a great concept right their. As soon as they introduced the… More
  Not only is this film cool but good as well. I watched this because it was supposed to be influenced by Alfred Hitchcock. There's some similarities like a McGuffin. That McGuffin being the "Whatsit". That was a great concept right their. As soon as they introduced the "Whatsit" I knew right away that this film now has a sub-genera of science fiction. It was a great shock because the whole time I thought this film was supposed to be true to life. The ending was intense and a shock once the "Whatsit" gets opened. There are two endings to this film but I don't want to tell you what they are because I don't like spoilers. The acting itself could have been better. The writing was great, it had excellent character development. There's much talk online that Mike Hammer is a repressed homosexual. Whether this is true or not I have no idea. If you want proof that he isn't just look at the poster. The directing was also really good couldn't have done it better myself. Good choice on the camera angles. Great cinematography too, it looked really nice. The producing was my favorite part. I prefer the production value of the classics over the newer films. An advance in technology can be a bad thing as well I guess. In conclusion, this is a great blend of film noir and science fiction. You don't see much films like that don't you. If you like classic film noir then this should be one of your favorites.

• George M

  
  Brilliant and funny secondary characters.

• Chris B

  
  If you were to ask me what my favorite genre of film is, I would have to go with Noir-films. While there are several factors or definitions as to what noir is and what makes a film categorized as this genre, It is often something that I am totally absorbed into. The beautiful Black… More
  If you were to ask me what my favorite genre of film is, I would have to go with Noir-films. While there are several factors or definitions as to what noir is and what makes a film categorized as this genre, It is often something that I am totally absorbed into. The beautiful Black & White Cinematography and beautiful femme fatale and usually involved some type of detective or ordinary man trying to solve various strange circumstances. While this has all of those elements, it is more that a simple noir tale. Kiss Me Deadly has a lot of torture scenes and murders, even though most are implied and the viewer finishes these thoughts in their head, it was shocking for 1955! There is also a sci-fi type of feel to the closing 20 minutes or so where the box discovered could be anything from a radioactive weapon (Cold War era) or even Pandora's Box for the more symbolic viewer. A great watch that has many characters and twists to it, Highly Recommended!

• Mike T

  
  This impeccably shot film absolutely oozes with style, and its innovative camerawork isn't its only defining feature. Aldrich directs his violent, absorbing mystery story with precision and focus, and the performances are solid all around. Some of the best black-and-white… More
  This impeccably shot film absolutely oozes with style, and its innovative camerawork isn't its only defining feature. Aldrich directs his violent, absorbing mystery story with precision and focus, and the performances are solid all around. Some of the best black-and-white cinematography I have ever seen.

• Buddy A

  
  A very interesting film, though not quite up to par with other classic noir "detective" films. This may be just a personal preference for me; I was never quite as enamored of Mike Hammer stories as I was with Phillip Marlowe or Sam Spade, but without a doubt Meeker is the… More
  A very interesting film, though not quite up to par with other classic noir "detective" films. This may be just a personal preference for me; I was never quite as enamored of Mike Hammer stories as I was with Phillip Marlowe or Sam Spade, but without a doubt Meeker is the best cinematic Mike Hammer to date (and this includes both Keach's performances, which are not that true to the actual literary character, and the few stints in which Mickey Spillane played his own title character himself!). The cinematography is excellent, however, very true to the spirit of film noir's chiaroscuro technique. What makes this film so interesting is twofold. First are all the great mythic references to everything from the Bible to Greek mythology, some of which are subtle and some overt, coupled with symbollic temperings of romantic literature, poetry, and classical music (plus some neat juxtapositions of this to modern sports like baseball and boxing, which play on the radio in key scenes). Second is the way the film taps into the unique post-war fears of its time; while going into too much detail here might potentially ruin the film for those who have not seen it, suffice it to say that it does so in a way few films noirs ever did. Overall, this is a very good film, though not quite as good as many other classic noirs, but is recommended nonetheless.

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