It’s important to note that this review covers Criterion’s second printing Dressed to Kill. The original pressing has significant framing issues, acknowledged by Criterion. As it says in the accompanying leaflet, this Blu-ray is a “New, restored, 4K digital transfer of director Brian De Palma’s preferred unrated version, supervised by the director…” To make sure you have a copy of this release, check the back cover. Next to Printed in USA, you should see Second printing 2015. You can also heck the actual Blu-ray disc and look for Second pressing 2015.

Despite his successes, director Brian De Palma has rarely been a critical favorite. In the early years of his career, he was accused of ripping off Alfred Hitchcock and being very misogynistic. Today, many feel his films aren’t nearly as good as they once were. The guy just can’t win. Case in point: 1980’s Dressed to Kill. Yes, the film is clearly influenced by Hitchcock´s Psycho, but what not enough people acknowledge is that De Palma’s major cinematic thefts are from his own work, namely 1976’s Carrie. You’re allowed to steal from yourself aren’t you? As for misogynist, if I recall, that was part of Psycho as well.

De Palma brings back memories of Psycho in the opening scene. The camera slowly moves around a corner to reveal middle-aged housewife Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) pleasuring herself in the shower while staring at a man shaving in the bathroom mirror. In the midst of the steam, another man appears in the shower with her, covering her mouth with one hand and violently pawing at her crotch with the other. Quickly cutting away, we realize that the whole scene was a fantasy Kate was creating for herself while having joyless sex with her husband.

Kate appears frustrated and unfulfilled. She has a teenage son, Peter (Keith Gordon), but he’s a geeky kid who spends all his time in the basement working on science projects. Later, any doubt vanishes as she tries to seduce her psychologist, Dr. Elliot (Michael Caine), who admits he’s attracted to her, but ultimately resists temptation for ethical reasons. Jaded and horny, Kate heads to the Metropolitan Museum, where she catches the eye of a sleazy dude. In a ten minute sequence free of dialogue and borrowing heavily from Vertigo—De Palma stages an elaborate cat-and-mouse game through the museum’s labyrinthine corridors, with Kate initially avoiding the man, but then desperate to track him down for sex.

Immediately following her brief, afternoon affair, she suspect’s she´s contracted a venereal disease, but that soon becomes the least of her worries. Without revealing specific details, let’s just say that De Palma doesn’t hesitate to show real blood in all its red glory.

The next major figure on the scene is call girl Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), who is a witness to a brutal murder in an elevator. Teaming up to solve the murder, Liz, Peter, and Dr. Elliott all try to locate the mysterious blonde that Liz saw wielding a razor in the elevator, a blonde who may just be one of the doctor´s patients. Subsequently, all three are discouraged from and yet encouraged to investigate further by NYPD detective Marino played by Dennis Franz.

While all the actors involved are good, it’s Angie Dickinson who most impresses. Her screen time is limited, but she makes every second count. The museum sequence where she follows the man is sexy and suspenseful, no matter how many times you see it.

Dressed to Kill is a good, taut thriller. It combines sex and violence, screams of pleasure and pain in almost equal measure. Suspense mounts. Tension builds. The ending twists and turns are still frightening. The camerawork here is brilliant, using all kinds of different angles, zooms point-of-view Steadicam sequences to add to the thriller feel of things. It may not be a work of art, but Dressed to Kill is campy, sexy, and thrilling.

This new restored 4K digital transfer is great stuff. Presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer offers solid level of subtle detail. Depth and clarity are terrific. The inherent grain remains intact, leaving the image with texture. Colors are bright and vivid, with accurate contrast. While I did notice a few flecks of dirt, it’s nothing that should affect the overall viewing experience. As noted earlier, the framing issue has been taken care of.

English LPCM 1.0. Audio track is a very solid one. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout and Pino Donaggio’s score sounds wonderful. Atmospherics are subtle, but fine. There are no pops, background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

English SDH subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Brian De Palma Interview: (HD, 20:00) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, filmmaker Noah Baumbach talks with the director about Dressed to Kill and its narrative structure, the use of sounds, Hitchcock’s influence on his work, the film’s controversial reception and more.
  • Nancy Allen Interview (HD, 16:11) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, actress Nancy Allen discusses how she was approached to play Liz Blake, her preparations for the role, her work with Michael Caine and more.
  • George Litto Interview (HD, 12:12) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, producer George Litto discusses his collaborations with De Palma on Obsession, Dressed to Kill, and Blow Out.
  • Pino Donaggio Interview (HD, 15:41) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, the composer discusses his score for Dressed to Kill, as well as his longstanding professional relationship with De Palma.
  • Victoria Lynn Johnson Interview (HD, 8:42) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, former model, 1978 Penthouse Pet of the Year and Angie Dickinson’s body double in Dressed to Kill, Victoria Lynn Johnson explains how she was approached to do the shower scene at the beginning of the film.
  • Stephen Sayadian Interview (HD, 10:15) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, the photographic art director for the original Dressed to Kill one-sheet poster, discusses how the original design was created.
  • Trailer (HD, 2:01) The original trailer for the film.
  • Version Comparison (SD, 5:14) A look at the differences between the unrated, R-rated, and network TV versions of the opening shower scene, the first murder sequence, and the scene where Liz strips down to her lingerie in Dr. Elliot’s office.
  • An Appreciation by Keith Gordon (SD, 6:06) Gordon discusses the particular genius of Brian De Palma.
  • Slashing Dressed to Kill (SD, 9:50) Produced in 2001, De Palma, Nancy Allen, and Keith Gordon discuss the changes that had to be made to avoid an X-rating.
  • Defying Categories: Ralf Bode (HD, 10:00) Recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2015, filmmaker Michael Apted and experimental video artist Peer Bode discuss the work and unusual styling of the late cinematographer Ralf Bode, who lensed Dressed to Kill.
  • The Making of a Thriller Documentary (SD, 43:51) Produced in 2001, this is an extensive retrospective documentary that features interviews with just about everyone involved in the film, except Michael Caine.
  • Leaflet: an illustrated leaflet featuring Michael Koresky’s essay “The Power of Two.”