Dressed to Kill (1980)

Brian De Palma's 1980's erotic thriller is an experience from beginning to end. I don't know that it especially holds up, but it isn't terrible either. It's very well made and artistic, it's a visual film. However, some of the "twists" are a little trite and predictable nowadays, and the reasoning is honestly a little outlandish. The erotic thriller has come and gone as a genre, so this is a refreshing look into one of the better ones. Despite that, it's nothing all that special or groundbreaking.

Kate is a housewife who is sexually frustrated and unsatisfied by her husband, a problem she discusses in therapy with Dr. Elliot. While at an art gallery, she engages in a flirtatious cat and mouse game with a stranger. She ends up going home with him. She attempts to sneak out after their tryst, trying to write him a love note. While going through his desk, she finds the positive results of an STD test. She rushes out, forgetting her wedding ring. While going back to retrieve it, she is murdered by a tall blonde woman. A young call girl, Liz, witnesses the crime and becomes the killers next target. When the police discredit her due to her profession, Liz works together with Kate's teenage son to track down the murderer. They soon zero in on one of Dr. Elliot's other patients, a trans woman named Bobbi, who is angry with Dr. Elliot because he refused to sign her gender reassignment papers. Dr. Elliot is continually threatened by Bobbi and is trying to convince Bobbi's new doctor that she is a danger to herself and others.

The movie is very visual. As I said, there are 15-minute spans where there is no dialogue at all. The cinematography is very entertaining and unique, which keeps the scenes from dragging. After Kate's murder, the film begins to become a little convoluted and overly complicated. The performances are nothing groundbreaking, and the big twist is pretty predictable and honestly, a little offensive, but it's a product of its time, so you can't fault it all too much. One thing about this movie, and a lot of movies that were created before psychology was more wide-spread, is at the end they have a "psychologist" explaining the why and the how and the motivations of the killer to Liz (who acts as a vessel for the audience). I always just think it's silly how they felt the need to explain it because they thought the audience would be too stupid to understand it.

Dressed to Kill is probably one that you can either skip or watch, depending on what you want. I don't think there's anything terrible about it, it's well made, decently acted, the cinematography is the best part. But it's also dated, overly complicated, and drags in places. You won't miss it if you don't watch it, you won't feel like you wasted your time if you do. It's a perfectly safe erotic thriller to check out.

Netflix available: No

Hulu available: No

Xfinity available: Yes

Amazon Prime available: Yes

Rating: 3/5