Dressed to Kill

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Dressed to Kill

R

Released Jun 23, 1980

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a prostitute, sees a mysterious woman brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), she finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police think Liz is the murderer, the real killer wants to silence the crime's only witness. Only Kate's inventor son, Peter (Keith Gordon), believes Liz. Peter and Liz team up to find the real culprit, who has an unexpected means of hiding her identity and an even more surprising motivation to kill.

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Critics Consensus

With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma's signature strengths.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

De Palma shows the kind of restless intelligence which suggests that he will want to work in many different forms, and certainly he needs more chances to work on a larger scale... But he doesn’t have to move away from thrillers to prove he’s an artist.

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Dressed To Kill is a nail-biting, seat-squirming, stylish murder mystery with a brain.

Apr 28, 2018

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Originality has never been a high value in the genre-bound aesthetic of filmmaking, but De Palma cheapens what he steals.

Sep 26, 2007

Full Review

Alan Jones

Radio Times

An eyebrow-raising performance from Michael Caine keeps this clever shocker moving along nicely, and De Palma's brilliant sleight-of-hand direction pulls out all the suspense stops, providing some unforgettable jolts.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 2, 2025

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

De Palma at the top of his game, with some masterfully edited and scored sequences that still hold up by modern standards.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Exquisitely directed by DePalma and bearing the key signifiers of a prototypical Erotic Thriller, Dressed to Kill does contribute to the problematic depiction of trans women as killers, though it's not as influential as Psycho or The Silence of The Lambs

Rated: 4/5

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

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Stephen C

Success in 1.75 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

Full Review

Glen H

Huge DePalma fan, but no matter how much he tries to emulate Hitchcock here, his perversions tend to overtake the material. Where Hitchcock shined was in not showing as much. Also, it's quite predictable. There are some well written characters and great performances, but it takes much too long for the plot to get going. Also, the film has a never-ending cycle of false endings. It's definitely one of DePalma's inferior entries.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

Frans B

De Palma stamp is clearly here, which is good. Stellar cast all excels in character. Amazing cinematography is captivating and engaging. Seriously tense moments and very intelligently written and directed. This will become a classic. Suspense galore, highly recommended

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme legal pra caralho, o roteiro é legal, as cenas de morte foram boas, o elenco é bacaninha, e alguns ajudam a melhorar o filme, a história é boa, e o plot twist deixou o filme melhor, que foi o doutor elliot que se vestiu de mulher e matou as mulheres no filme, que perto do final tomou um tiro e foi para o hospital, e depois no final que foi fraco, ele estrangulou a enfermeira e foi atrás da kate miller e matou ela, só que ela estava sonhando, com tudo isso, eu recomendo esse filme.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/25

Full Review

Jeffrey P

Freaky suspense thriller that does enough to keep you watching until it gets to the chase. Original and edgy for it’s day and age, a notch above today’s attempts at being edgy.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Scott M

Very well told story about a transvestite serial killer. The first 30 minutes with Angie Dickinson are insanely good. The rest isn't as good, mostly because Nancy Allen is terrible but she does better here than most movies she's been in. I've always thought it was one of De Palma's best films.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

Full Review

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Brian De Palma

Director

Michael Caine

Doctor Robert Elliott

Angie Dickinson

Kate Miller

Nancy Allen

Liz Blake

Keith Gordon

Peter Miller

Dennis Franz

Detective Marino

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Museum Encounter

4:24

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Seducing Dr. Elliott

2:16

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - You're Not a Psycho

2:10

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Subway Chase

2:43

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Watching Phil Donahue

2:11

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Transsexuality

2:37

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Murder on an Elevator

3:13

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Shower Nightmare

2:07

Dressed to Kill: Official Clip - Behind You!

1:46

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Synopsis

When Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a prostitute, sees a mysterious woman brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), she finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police think Liz is the murderer, the real killer wants to silence the crime's only witness. Only Kate's inventor son, Peter (Keith Gordon), believes Liz. Peter and Liz team up to find the real culprit, who has an unexpected means of hiding her identity and an even more surprising motivation to kill.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: George Litto
Screenwriter: Brian De Palma
Distributor: GoodTimes Home Video [us], Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Filmways Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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