The Naked Kiss

The Naked Kiss (1964)

  • 92% of critics liked it
    (13 reviews)

  • 78% of users liked it
    (2,988 ratings)

Kelly (Constance Towers), a prostitute who wants to transform her life, beats up her pimp, takes the 75 dollars he owes her, and leaves town. Winding up in the small town of Grantville, she turns a trick with Griff (Anthony Eisley), who is actually the sheriff. After paying her for sex, Griff tells… More

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Samuel Fuller
Genres
Drama, Classics
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1964 Wide
Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

  • Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online

    ... arguably the most aggressively defiant film of his career.

  • Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis

    Like Fuller, Kelly believes in the direct approach, and a good slap can get quick results.

  • James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

    uses it tabloid-sensational subject matter to probe at the country's darkest recesses

  • Sean Axmaker, Parallax View

    An audacious mix of cynicism, sleaze, sentimental gooeyness and social commentary, it's bizarre and at times an assault on the senses...

  • Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

    No one slaps the f-stop out of pimps like Constance Towers!

Read all 10 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Graham J


    Fuller's take on melodrama is much more brutal. A very risque subject for it's time, this pulp classic holds up very well today.

  • Stella D


    whoa. a great vehicle for constance towers and lurid as all hell. fuller strikes a blow for female empowerment.

  • Randy T


    I have to believe that Sam Fuller just doesn't give a rat's ass about what the rest of the world thinks. He has a story to tell and he's going to tell it HIS way, style and etiquette be damned. You gotta respect a guy who has the huevos to make films that challenge… More

  • Stephen M


    Like a lot of Sam Fuller's stuff, <I>The Naked Kiss</I> is melodramatic and corny in places, but it does contain some unforgettably powerful moments, not the least of them the starling opening scene, in which Constance Towers' prostitute beats her pimp… More

  • Michael G


    Melodramatic, but great. It also has one of the best opening scenes you'll ever see.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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