:
Ralph Meeker,
Ralph Meeker,
Albert Dekker,
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:
Robert Aldrich,
Robert Aldrich
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: MGM
: Classics, Suspense/Thriller, Classic Drama, Film Noir, Vintage Noir, Classic Crime, Crime, Classic Crime
: 106 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French
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Regarded by many critics as the ultimate film noir, and by many more as the finest movie adaptation of a book by Mickey Spillane, Kiss Me Deadly stars Ralph Meeker as Spillane's anti-social private eye Mike Hammer. While driving down a lonely road late one evening, Hammer picks up a beautiful blonde hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), dressed in nothing but a raincoat. At first, Hammer assumes that the incoherent girl is an escaped lunatic; his mind is changed for him when he and the girl are abducted by two thugs. The men torture the girl to death as the semiconscious Hammer watches helplessly. He himself escapes extermination when the murderers' car topples off a cliff and he is thrown clear. Seeking vengeance, Hammer tries to discover the secret behind the girl's murder. Among those who cross his path in the film's tense, tingling 105 minutes are a slimy gangster (Paul Stewart), a turncoat scientist (Albert Dekker), and the dead woman's sexy roommate (Gaby Rodgers). All clues lead to a mysterious box -- the "Great Whatsit," as Hammer's secretary Velda (Maxine Cooper) describes it. Both the box and Velda are stolen by the villains, at which point Hammer discovers that the "Whatsit" contains radioactive material of awesome powers. The apocalyptic climax is doubly devastating because we're never quite certain if Hammer survives (he doesn't narrate the story, as was the case in most Mike Hammer films and TV shows). Director Robert Aldrich and scriptwriter Jack Moffit transcend Kiss Me Deadly's basic genre trappings to produce a one-of-a-kind melodrama for the nuclear age. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| Noirest of the Noir
by CCornell
March 21, 2006 - 11:49 AM PST
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| This film is amazingly dark for its time. It should definitely be re-released today as it has a lot to say about modern man and the culture of violence - the world's teetering on the edge over an abyss of darkness. It brought up many feelings and thoughts I had after watching the current film, A History of Violence. |
| WOW
by AZumaya
December 28, 2004 - 1:23 PM PST
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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| A hidden treasure, a forgotten great piece of film noir...don't miss it. |
| Magnificent Insanity
by sakana
December 21, 2003 - 8:59 AM PST
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2 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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| KISS ME DEADLY is one of the darkest, most outrageous noir films ever made. Its protagonist (Mike Hammer) is unrelentingly nasty, as is virtually everyone around him. In this world everyone lies; deception is the key to survival. Though he's sure that he has the world well under control, Hammer is after something bigger and more horrible than he can possibly imagine-- and, in the end, as the true horror of the story becomes clear, he's proved comically ineffective. In addition to the almost unimaginably grim story, KISS ME DEADLY possesses a stark, powerful visual style, clearly helped by its small budget. Anyone with an interest in noir must experience this film. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.71)
153 Votes
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