Dressed To Kill

Dressed To Kill

Brian De Palma at one time had made a career and had been lauded (and criticized) for making movies that emulated the style of Alfred Hitchcock. Now while that IS true (to an extent), it also remains a fact that these “homage” films introduced a nearly pulsating undercurrent of sexuality that Hitchcock never could have done due to the restrictive standards of his time. A closer look at many of these films reveals that while the Hitchcock influence is definitely present (particularly in the stories), the sexual elements and much of the cinematography style are actually reminiscent of arthouse European cinema, albeit though most of De Palma’s efforts were shot here in America. But it was De Palma who seemed to initially explore (in the American Cinema Arena) the correlation of how sex = death, something that became a driving element in the wave of slasher films to come (and also something that John Carpenter’s Halloween had brought up as food for thought as well). This nifty little thriller that De Palma came up with in 1980 caused some major controversy at the time, mainly from feminist groups who objected to the near exclusive portrayal of women as being objects / victims even as one of the main females was portrayed as being quite crafty when she was in her own realm. The film is most definitely a slasher in its purest form (the killer even wields a straight razor) and the absolutely raw sexuality on display rivals anything ever seen in softcore pornography and erotic thrillers of the 90s (a genre that was jumpstarted by 1992’s Basic Instinct even as this film was way ahead of its time) and is almost absolutely never prevalent in modern mainstream films that are seen today. The film opens with Angie Dickinson (a famous actress who was well into her forties at this point) taking a shower while watching her husband shaving in the same bathroom. She does just about anything to get his attention while acting as sexy as possible in a scene that truly defies expectations in terms of erotica (although Dickinson did use a body double) and duly earned the film a theatrical X rating (although the “uncut” version is on most video releases). After failing to get her husband’s attention, she instead fantasizes about being attacked in the shower (by a stranger who just appears out of nowhere) and raped. Needless to say, Dickinson is an unhappy, unfulfilled housewife, faking an orgasm for her greying hubby almost as if it is her job. From there she pays a visit to her psychiatrist (Michael Caine) where she laments about her husband’s poor sexual performance and even propositions Caine himself before being politely turned down. From there she treks on over to the local NYC Art Museum, culminating in the film’s most famous sequence, a dialogue free game of cat and mouse between Dickinson and a mysterious stranger in which the obviously aroused housewife is determined to make a connection with this fellow, which she does and then some in the back of a taxicab en route to the man’s apartment (with the sexual kink factor being upped just a little bit more). After a little give and take with the naughty housewife collecting her things, she is suddenly cornered in the elevator of the apartment building by a tall, menacing blonde with sunglasses (who is obviously a transvestite) and brutally slashed to death into a bloody pulp, thus ending Ms. Dickinson’s “starring” role in the film (which lasted for over 30 minutes) and evoking memories of Janet Leigh’s similar “lead role” in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho that also came to a memorably abrupt end. But fear not, for the sex appeal baton is quickly picked up by Nancy Allen (De Palma’s wife at the time) playing a VERY high end prostitute who happens to walk into the hallway at the last minute and witnesses Dickinson’s horrifying murder. Those who know Allen best from her role as the plucky partner in the Robocop films might just be taken aback by her sensuality and sexual charisma that she displays here, the type of girl whom you want to bring home to meet your mother and then have LOTS of sex with afterwards for days on end, even if she IS a hooker. Allen gets hauled in for questioning where the movie nearly gets stolen by Dennis Franz’s sardonic turn as the cop investigating the case and then (after realizing that the killer is now stalking her for being a witness) she forms an alliance with Dickinson’s nerdy, science fair genius son (Keith Gordon) who is as determined as anybody to find his mother’s killer through any means necessary (unlike Franz who is more content to sit in his office and wait for clues to just fall into his lap). The key factor in the investigation is Caine, whom it is believed might have had potentially dangerous patients under his care but instead decides to stonewall Franz on the grounds of the doctor / patient confidentiality laws which lead Allen and Gordon to set up their own scheme to get at his patient records to bring the killer down. A lot of interesting psychological undertones are at play here despite the rather routine storyline, not the least of which is the Gordon character (an overactive teenage boy with all of the hormonal requirements) being around such a ravishingly beautiful girl as Allen (even protecting her in the process) without so much as a hint of desired horny physical involvement becoming more instead like a steadfast driver / partner in crime / bodyguard to her risk taking escort. Then there is Caine, who actually DOES have a dangerous tranny patient whom he feels very strongly COULD be the killer but yet at the same time he fails to report it both out of fear for his own life and also being uncertain through which channels to pursue in order to do so. As for the mysterious killer (named “Bobbi”), we don’t really find out all that much about him / her, although Da Palma does cheat by having different actors and actresses play the role at different times in the film purely as a way of keeping us guessing (resulting at one point with us actually thinking that the killer is in two places at once which is a decidedly surreal effect). Once Gordon and Allen latch onto the fact that “Bobbi” is one of Caine’s patients, they hatch a plan for Allen to obtain his patient information in perhaps the most sinister way possible, so much so that it makes one question at least Allen’s way of doing things. She sets up a phony appointment with Caine in his office on a rainy night so that once they’re alone, she comes on with a series of full court press sexual head games, so strongly in fact that one almost thinks that she actually DOES want to seduce Caine’s stoic doctor rather than obtain some little bit of information (when a little quiet breaking and entering would have just as simply done the same), even stripping her clothes off and strutting around in her perfect natural woman’s body while Caine gets all hot and bothered as she gets him distracted and tied up enough to check his files. In terms of Nancy Allen’s enduring sex appeal for the ages, she guaranteed herself to be a part of many men’s erotic fantasies for years and years to come, but for the character to utilize such elaborate means to get what she wants, again the aftermath (as it was with Dickinson) of the idea that any woman being too free spirited and sexually liberated could very well result in their own brutal death is a potent one that cannot be denied, as De Palma seems to be constructing a cautionary tale on such terms while at the same time reveling in the very nature of seeing such a gorgeous girl with an openly sexual attitude. De Palma does sadly stretch out the running time for one last, needless stalk and slash kill that turns out to be a dream sequence (and copies the end of his own Carrie) but it is that potent theme of having sexuality being equated with death that has never, ever been better underscored in any other horror movie or thriller to come down the pike since this was made that ensures its classic status, one that almost everyone seems to agree is not necessarily De Palma’s best film, but is definitely his best known and the one that came to define both his own brand name as well as his unique style of filmmaking…

8/10

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