--- product_id: 6495655 title: "Dressed to Kill" brand: "michael caineangie dickinsonbrian de palma" price: "€ 55.17" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/6495655-dressed-to-kill store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Dressed to Kill **Brand:** michael caineangie dickinsonbrian de palma **Price:** € 55.17 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Dressed to Kill by michael caineangie dickinsonbrian de palma - **How much does it cost?** € 55.17 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/6495655-dressed-to-kill) ## Best For - michael caineangie dickinsonbrian de palma enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted michael caineangie dickinsonbrian de palma brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Product description To condemn "Dressed to Kill" as a Hitchcock rip-off is to miss the sheer enjoyment of Brian De Palma's delirious 1980 thriller. Hitchcockian homages run rampant through most of De Palma's earlier films, and this one's chock-full of visual quotes, mostly cribbed from "Vertigo" and "Psycho". But De Palma's indulgent depravity transcends simple mimicry to assume a vitality all its own. It's smothered in thickly atmospheric obsessions with sex, dread, paranoia, and voyeurism, not to mention a heavy dose of "Psycho"-like psychobabble about a wannabe transsexual who's compelled to slash up any attractive female who reminds him--the horror!--that he's still very much a man. Angie Dickinson plays the sexually unsatisfied, fortysomething wife who's the killer's first target, relaying her sexual fantasies to her psychiatrist (Michael Caine) before actually living one of them out after the film's celebrated cat-and-mouse sequence in a Manhattan art museum. The focus then switches to a murder witness (De Palma's then-girlfriend Nancy Allen) and Dickinson's grieving whiz-kid son (Keith Gordon), who attempt to solve the murder while staying one step ahead (or so they think) of the crude detective (Dennis Franz) assigned to the case. Propelled by Pino Donaggio's lush and stimulating score, De Palma's visuals provide seductive counterpoint to his brashly candid dialogue, and the plot conceals its own implausibility with morbid thrills and intoxicating suspense. If you're not laughing at De Palma's shameless audacity, you're sure to be on the edge of your seat. "--Jeff Shannon" .com To condemn Dressed to Kill as a Hitchcock rip-off is to miss the sheer enjoyment of Brian De Palma's delirious 1980 thriller. Hitchcockian homages run rampant through most of De Palma's earlier films, and this one's chock-full of visual quotes, mostly cribbed from Vertigo and Psycho. But De Palma's indulgent depravity transcends simple mimicry to assume a vitality all its own. It's smothered in thickly atmospheric obsessions with sex, dread, paranoia, and voyeurism, not to mention a heavy dose of Psycho-like psychobabble about a wannabe transsexual who's compelled to slash up any attractive female who reminds him--the horror!--that he's still very much a man. Angie Dickinson plays the sexually unsatisfied, fortysomething wife who's the killer's first target, relaying her sexual fantasies to her psychiatrist (Michael Caine) before actually living one of them out after the film's celebrated cat-and-mouse sequence in a Manhattan art museum. The focus then switches to a murder witness (De Palma's then-girlfriend Nancy Allen) and Dickinson's grieving whiz-kid son (Keith Gordon), who attempt to solve the murder while staying one step ahead (or so they think) of the crude detective (Dennis Franz) assigned to the case. Propelled by Pino Donaggio's lush and stimulating score, De Palma's visuals provide seductive counterpoint to his brashly candid dialogue, and the plot conceals its own implausibility with morbid thrills and intoxicating suspense. If you're not laughing at De Palma's shameless audacity, you're sure to be on the edge of your seat. --Jeff Shannon ## Images ![Dressed to Kill - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Mq84h1dQL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ From the director of "Scarface"... *by L***Y on Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015* While the climactic summary scene inside of the police station is so obviously lifted from the ending of Hitchcock's "Psycho" that it makes a film aesthete wonder aloud "seriously?", the beginning scenes and the characterizations are intriguing enough and even somewhat original in their framing that it is possible to give De Palma a fair hearing for this one I think. Be warned that the Blu Ray is the "Unrated" cut, which means that all of the filth that had been included in De Palma's original dialogue is now restored in this print--if you watch "Pulp Fiction" a lot, you won't even notice it, but some of the language is still pretty strong even for today. I did enjoy Angie Dickinson's performance (and yes, they used a double for those opening shots in the shower!), and while she is obviously a Marion Crane-type of character device used for the plotting, she adds a layer of subtlety to her performance that is actually quite good. And Michael Caine has finally met a director who understands how to use him properly on camera--in the past, I've always found Caine to be an annoying presence whenever he tries to carry the entire film himself, but in "Dressed to Kill" his performance is more mannerism than talk, and he delivers a far more subdued level of skill than I recall seeing from him before. Nancy Allen, though, proves to be the real knockout here (check out that black lingerie!), and her acting shows considerable strengths (even though De Palma had personal reasons for being skeptical of her casting). The quality of the Blu Ray presentation is detailed by other reviewers on here, so I will only add that the picture and sound are quite astonishing considering the age of this negative, with the sound coming through as being particularly lush. "Dressed to Kill" may not be the paradigm of screen originality (even its title is overly used!), but for suspense fans and fans of Brian De Palma, it is difficult to overlook even so. While "Blow Out" may be De Palma's major classic (John Lithgow made an even more intimidating villain figure in that one), "Dressed to Kill" is exciting in a visual way, with a camera that is ever seeking but never coming to the full knowledge of the narrative, with a deceptively perverted but still enjoyable aesthetic concerning the women in danger genre (that is still thought by many to be so disreputable). Feminists really hated men again after this one came out (the liberal press darling Harlan Ellison acted particularly babyish when writing his put-down about this fantasy-like film), but today De Palma's shocker looks almost classy in comparison to other horror films, and a lot more polished than it needed to be.Extras here are quite good for a film that may be more inconsequential to historical appreciation than most film collectors realize. The "Slashing Dressed to Kill" extra goes in depth about the conception, casting, producing, and marketing of the eventual film. Dickinson and Allen are both interviewed here extensively, as is De Palma, and he goes on to discuss his ongoing battle with the censorship board about the extreme content in his films. The theatrical trailer is good, and it is included here. The neatest, if not the most enjoyable, extra is the one that compares the TV cuts and the original R-rated submission footage to that of the newly remastered, unrated cut. You can really get an education in how timid--but sometimes also how right--that the ratings board is in choosing which little bits get cut out of our entertainment movies. I wonder if Pauline Kael got to see the original version or a watered down R-rated print? In any case, the extra punch added to the dialogue makes it all the more sinister for the not-all-that-shocking conclusion (although I believe that "Dressed to Kill" was considered pretty frightening in its day). If the ending offends you--and maybe you didn't like "Carrie all that much--just know that De Palma uses film as a kind of wavering light that never really achieves separation between dreams and reality (and to me, it's not always a "cop out" to use such techniques as long as the movie is not a complete waste of time in itself). While this film does not reach the hysterical heights of satire that pushed both "Sisters" and "Scarface" into the five-star region for me personally, it is nonetheless an enjoyable--if pretty light--suspense genre entry.A word must also be added about Pino Donaggio's beautiful music score, which is really what makes the Blu Ray transfer worth owning. This title is also available on DVD in the exact same special edition (and with the same content) as the new Blu Ray--I suppose I'm wondering why these weren't included in a combo pack for fans but, ah, the mysteries of the universe... ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ *Blu-Ray* Has Same *Specials* Minus 1. *by A***H on Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2011* DRESSED TO KILL is one of my favorite Brian De Palma films next to  Carrie (Special Edition) , and so when I found out that it was being released on Blu-Ray, I had to buy it even though I already owned the  Dressed to Kill  DVD.The picture quality is excellent! No noise or scratches, particularly during the dark scenes, and the image quality is razor sharp even in the dream sequences and foggy shower scenes.And the movie still holds up after all these years. It's still a fascinating thriller and I'm always finding new images and hints throughout the movie on repeated viewings, especially on this new Blu-Ray transfer, that I didn't notice on the DVD. Did you know that Bobbi makes an appearance long before the elevator scene?Anyway, if you're undecided on whether or not the BR version of DRESSED TO KILL is worth it, I'd say yes with a few caveats.First off, all of the special features that were on the DVD were carried over to the BR except for the "Advertising Photo Gallery" that showed film posters and lobby cards. I don't know why they got rid of this featurette because I really enjoy looking at the various film posters and concept art for them.Also, the mini-pamphlet that was included with the DVD is not available here. Because of these omissions, I had to deduct one-star.Another reason for the deduction is that the menu layout is a little confusing when you get to the extra features, and you're not able to bookmark the timeline. Maybe this was an issue with my PS3, but I was not able to put a placeholder, when I had to stop the playback, and it didn't resume playback when I came back to watch the movie, so it was a little annoying to have to start all the way back from the beginning -- including disclaimer titles -- to get to the scene selection menu and find my way back to where I'd left off.Here's a run down of the goodies on the Blu-Ray:***** SPECIAL FEATURES ****** The Making Of Dressed To Kill * = 43:51-minutesFeaturette from 2001 with De Palma, stars Nancy Allen (Liz Blake), Angie Dickinson (Kate Miller), Keith Gordon (Peter Miller), Dennis Franz (Detective Marino), producer George Litto, and editor Jerry Greenberg, discussing the making of the movie from start to finish.* Film Comparison * = 05:14-minutesComparison between the Unrated, R-rated, and Network versions of the movie including the shower, elevator, psychiatrist office, and nightmare scenes.* Slashing Dressed To Kill * = 09:50-minutesFeaturette discussing how challenging it was to get past the censors and how many scenes had to be altered. It's a good thing that De Palma shot and preserved the movie as is, which is how we get the "unrated" version today.* Appreciation By Keith Gordon * = 06:06-minutesThe actor who plays "Peter Miller," Angie Dickinson's son in the movie, critically discusses the genius of De Palma's filming techniques. This was interesting to watch because if gives you little nuggets of things to watch for in the movie.* Animated Photo Gallery *So, if you're a fan of DRESSED TO KILL, I highly recommend the Blu-Ray version for the pristine picture quality on HD. If high definition isn't that much of a factor for you and you own the DVD then I'd say you don't really need to upgrade it. Again, there's nothing extra on the Blu-Ray that isn't on the DVD, in fact, you'll get one less feature. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Still eerie *by L***R on Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023* I saw this decades ago when it first came out. Broaching transexualality was ahead of its time. Michael Caine is the consummate psycho and Angie Dickinson suited the role of a sexually frustrated wife. How young the cast was then ! Dennis Franze is again a great cop. A movie that aged better than most. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/6495655-dressed-to-kill](https://www.desertcart.be/products/6495655-dressed-to-kill) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*