Kiss Me Deadly
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Movie Reviews of Kiss Me Deadly
Movie Review: Entertaining Detective Story, but Not Great Noir To Me.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Kiss Me Deadly" is based on the novel of the same name by Mickey Spillane and features his private detective Mike Hammer, who is more a con artist than an investigator. Mike (Ralph Meeker) picks up a panicked woman on the road at night, only to be run off the road by her faceless pursuers shortly thereafter. When Hammer regains consciousness, the woman is dead, he is laid up in the hospital, and federal investigators are asking questions. Contemptuous of the law, Mike stonewalls the authorities. But he decides to stray from his usual fare -making sure he profits from both sides in divorce cases- and investigate the case himself. With the assistance of his loyal secretary Velda (Maxine Cooper) Mike sets out to find out who the dead woman was, who she was running from, and why she was killed.
Mike Hammer is not an appealing or sympathetic character. He doesn't investigate out of any sense of justice for the woman who met a horrible death, or even out of vengeance for his own treatment. He simply thinks he must be onto some valuable blackmail material. Ralph Meeker does a superb job with this role. But "Kiss Me Deadly" is a film without likable characters and, in fact, without interesting characters either. This is a film noir that came late in the classic noir cycle: 1955. Unlike the noirs of the 1940s, which were thematically concerned with the 1930s, "Kiss Me Deadly" has a very post-war feel: the cutting edge technology of Mike's reel-to-reel answering machine, Cold War intrigue, crinolined skirts and prominent bustlines. "Kiss Me Deadly" is thoroughly entrenched in the 1950s. Prominent film noir theorists have declared it one of the greats, but it's so unlike the films of the 1940s that it doesn't have the same appeal. The femmes fatales are bimbos with petty ambitions, not smart, articulate women. Mike Hammer is misogynistic, self-important, and completely lacking in introspection. He's not angsty or doomed, as noir men frequently are. But an extroverted protagonist doesn't interest me, because there is no more to him than meets the eye. To me, "Kiss Me Deadly" is a sleek, well-directed, detective story that goes through the motions, but simply has no depth. It's entertaining as such, but it's as superficial as its characters. Many film noir fans will disagree with me, so you'll have to judge for yourself.
The DVD: There is a theatrical trailer (2 minutes) and an alternate ending (1 minute). The alternate ending is shorter than the one in the movie and was actually the more common ending for the film. There is no difference in meaning between the two endings. The shorter one just uses less footage and isn't quite as good. Subtitles available for the film in French and Spanish.
Movie Review: Nuclear age film noir
Summary: 4 Stars
Director Robert Aldrich's "Kiss Me Deadly" is an offbeat production based on the Mickey Spillane novel which in 1955 came at the tail end of the film noir era. The film is a juxtaposition of the dark moody noir genre with the embryonic atomic age.
Ralph Meeker playing narcissistic, unscrupulous private investigator and Spillane anti-hero Mike Hammer becomes involved in a plot that is beyond his normal scope. Hammer who generates most of his business through divorce inquests, uses both the charms of his sexy assistant Velda played by Maxine Cooper and his own to embellish his cases.
Hammer is tooling along a deserted highway in his signature sports car when he almost runs over a young Cloris Leachman clad only in a trenchcoat and little else. He stops to pick her up and soon learns that she's escaped from an asylum. Driving together they are forced off the road and abducted by a gang lead by a faceless heavy recognizable only by a pair of fancy shoes. Leachman who reveals some mysterious secrets to Hammer in previous conversation, is tortured to death. She's then placed along with Hammer in his car and they are pushed off a cliff.
Hammer survives the ordeal but gets the idea that he's stumbled into a scheme that has potential for immense financial rewards. Using his investigative talents and utilizing an array of associates such as auto mechanic Nick, played by Nick Dennis and Cooper, Hammer comes into contact with a wide variety of sketchy villains including Leachman roommate Lily played by Gaby Rodgers.
We finally learn that the prize that the bad guys are after is contained within a well insulated black case and apparently contains some radioactive material. The tastefully shoed head of the gang is revealed to be Albert Dekker playing the arcane Dr. Soberin who is in cohoots with Gaby Rodgers.
In the wild and memorable finale with bullets flying in Dekker's beach house and Hammer wounded, Rodgers is warned not to open the case. In a scene reminiscent of Pandora's box, her curiousity gets the best of her and after shooting Dekker, opens the case creating an unexpected fiery cataclysm.
Movie Review: STARK - GRITTY - DARK FILM NOIR: BUT IF THERE IS THERE A POINT, I JUST DON'T GET IT!
Summary: 4 Stars
MAYBE I JUST DON'T GET IT:
This is one of those great films that, for some reason, I missed when it was originally released in 1955. If I had seen it, I'm not sure I would have remembered it. In fact, I still think that maybe I don't get it. Recently, I've watched "Kiss Me Deadly" several times and I guess I'll have to try seeing it again and reevaluating my review at that time.
MIKE HAMMER: THE ULTIMATE ANTI-HERO - BUT:
Ralph Meeker aptly plays Mike Hammer and portrays Hammer very convincingly as a scoundrel with a P.I. license. For me, this anti-heroic slant on the protagonist colors the film for the worse. Without admirable traits, it is difficult to root for the the hero, because he isn't a hero. In fact, there are no heros in this film.
In "D.O.A.", the protagonist, Frank Bigelow, played by Edmond O'Brien, had faults, but he had virtues that allowed us to get behind him and care as to whether he survived or not, unlike Ralph Meeker's characterization of Mike Hammer in "Kiss Me Deadly". Nevertheless, the integrity of "Kiss Me Deadly's" construction and execution are unique and flawless.
THE FAMOUS "WHAT'S IT"!
"Kiss Me Deadly" features at its core the famous "What's It" box - clearly a Pandora's box, of sorts. This is no afterthought or cheap trick and is one of the films most compelling plot elements.
BOTTOM LINE:
I'll have to see this film again, when I have waited long enough to get a fresh perspective. In the meantime, I feel like the "poor dummy" who hears a great joke and is the only person in the audience not laughing. Naturally, all the elements for an excellent film noir are present but, if there is a point, I just don't seem to get it.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD REVIEW & HAVE NOT FOUND IT HERE:
The two reviews in the spotlight are excellent and don't give away too much of the plot to spoil the film. Also see the "All Movie Guide" as it has a useful review.
ABOUT THE DVD:
Excellent transfer. Alternate ending is a nice touch.
Movie Review: A lot more style than substance, but entertaining nonetheless
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is for the 2001 MGM DVD.
Kiss Me Deadly is a film based on Mickey's Spillane's book featuring his fictional private detective Mike Hammer. The basic storyline involves a naked woman (Cloris Leachman) in a trench coat that Hammer (Ralph Meeker) finds on a deserted highway. He later finds out she escaped from a mental institution and soon after the two are attacked by some unidentified men and the woman is killed and Hammer barely survives with his life. The rest of the movie focuses on Hammer finding out why these men killed this woman.
I found the movie easy to watch and entertaining even though there were some obvious flaws in the plot and the production. It's clearly a movie from an era gone by: a man's movie from the "old school" of tough guy films where the lead character has all the women he encounters melting in his arms, he can be ruthlessly tough as nails, and is streetwise and smart without seeming too cerebral. He drives the coolest cars (a Jaguar and a Corvette) and lives in an impressive bachelor pad. (I never knew there were telephone answering machines in the mid-1950's.) The movie was filmed in Los Angeles in 1955 and has some nice shots of the undeveloped Pacific coastline plus scenes from the old Hill Street neighborhood. Overall I liked the look and nostalgic feel of the movie, even though the plot is mediocre at best.
The DVD picture quality is overall near pristine. Once in a while in a tiny spot of film wear could be observed, but it was never a distraction to the movie. The only DVD bonuses are the trailer and the ending that was originally released with the film. The final scene shown at the end of the feature presentation shows what the director originally intended, but apparently due to a glitch in the editing at the studio, a different ending was used in the original theater release. In my opinion, the director's ending is better and it's terrific that it was preserved and used for the ending of the feature movie on the DVD.
Movie: B-
DVD Quality: A-
Movie Review: The Pandora's Box of Classic Film Noir
Summary: 4 Stars
With cheesy music cues, stationary camerawork, and conservative editing, "Kiss Me Deadly " is very much a budget movie of its time. With the exception of a few on location scenes in downtown Los Angeles, the mostly nocturnal action is usually confined to cramped interior apartment sets. The nightmarish opening stands out as the most elaborate and stylized sequence, setting the strange and seedy tone of the movie nicely. But while there is nothing atypical or overly impressive about the look of the rest of the movie the fun performances, unusually violent protagonist, and bizarre plot twists elevate this otherwise modest production. The script is dialogue heavy and the stylized banter is certainly a product of its times but it is also amusing and witty.
There are a few betrayals, kidnappings, and other noir clichés that spice up the plot, but ultimately its the weird apocalyptic elements introduced in the climatic final act that leave the biggest impression, especially the original shocking ending. Unfortunately, the newly restored ending found on this DVD release lacks the same punch. The original ending is only a special feature. The action is spacious by modern standards but still in great abundance and fairly frequent, mostly leading man Ralph Meeker abusing would be assassins and informants with cringe inducing realistic smacks and punches, the sadistic glee on his face when engaging in said violence being an interesting and particularly unsettling detail. Considering his complete lack of empathy for anyone around him, Mike Hammer would be thoroughly unlikable if he wasn't so naturally cool and bada$$. The rest of the movie is populated by rather horny dames and a huge memorable cast of weirdoes that are as strange looking as they are written. The mystery that drives the movie really isn't that important, it's all just an excuse for Hammer to cruise around the city in his hip sports car and terrorize/manipulate anyone he thinks can help him crack the case.
-Dan S, dangerdiablogik