Dressed to Kill

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Dressed to Kill

R

1980

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

61 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

Sep 18, 2023

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.

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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Apr 28, 2018

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

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Sep 26, 2007

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

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Justin LaLiberty

Screen Slate

Jul 14, 2026

Dressed to Kill is about a lot of things—identity, adultery, sex work, pathology—but it’s also a flashy demo of De Palma’s technical abilities, for better or worse.

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

Jul 2, 2025

4/5

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.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Sep 11, 2023

4/5

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

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Jonathan G.

@JGutoff May 27, 2026

Stylish, intelligent, and a good plot.

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Apr 10, 2026

It's more than a little absurd.

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Feb 23, 2026

This was a good little eighties classy thriller. It was quite gritty. It was certainly not smooth and slick. The camera work was fantastic. Nancy Allen was excellent in this, such a charismatic actress. The acting is brilliant. There were some amazingly well shot scenes. Some scenes felt slow and uneventful though. The exciting moments are well done. Nothing too scary sadly. Interesting story. I did enjoy this film although I don’t think that it is very special, somewhat forgettable?

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Andrew Reed M

@OscarReedThethird Jan 18, 2026

Very good thriller. It is full of late '70s style, which is fun, but the story transcends the era and is a nail biter. It's almost worth watch just to see what happens to the Michael Caine character.

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Farah R

@Farah Nov 28, 2025

Dressed to Kill isn't one of Brian De Palma's best storywise, but it showcases his distinctive visual style. The dazzling cinematography, use of split-screen and slow-motion were perfect for suspense-building sequences, especially the iconic elevator scene. While the plot twist was predictable, the film's stylish direction makes it a watchable thriller.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Oct 20, 2025

That opening scene though...

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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

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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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