Disc Reviews

Dressed To Kill Blu-ray Review

26th Jul 2013

Angie Dickenson Kate Miller (Angie Dickenson) is a sexually charged mother who gets her thrills with various and random strangers in the city. She reports her misdeeds and thoughts to her psychiatrist Dr Elliot (Michael Caine) whilst keeping her son (Keith Gordon) in the dark about her double life.

But one random encounter too many and there is murder on the table in this, Brian DePalma’s supremely dark psychological thriller. Like Argento, De Palma goes for mood more over than the words on the screen. The visual palette used in particular scenes are immaculately put together with a terrific score leading the audience from one thrill to the next.

Of course anyone that has seen Psycho or Vertigo knows that De Palma likes to weave similar threads as Hitchcock – here though for a more adult audience. And yet even for an early 1980’s effort is way ahead of its time and its audience and even in it’s opening moments can still raise an eyebrow or two.

Arrow video pick up where they left off with their Blu-ray upgrades for Obsession and Blow Out with this compelling disc. The audio has been giving a very decent boost available in both 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD master.

The extras include lengthy interviews with Nancy Allen, Angie Dickenson, Keith Gordon and producer George Litto. There are some smaller featurettes on the film’s ratting, a trailer and a gallery of images. The best part though is the 50 minute documentary about the making of the film.

The only person missing from the supplementary materials is sadly Michael Caine. But it’s literally only his perspective we are missing. Beyond that criticism could well be leveled at the picture upgrade which, while a definite improvement, still suffers from dirt.

The package itself comes with some new artwork – and the one we have displayed here is evidence that Arrow know how to get the goods with some truly clever and well thought out artwork.

This is one of the best of De Palma’s early works to get hold of and stands up well today by any film’s standards – and a reminder that it might be nice to see him return to these roots again some day.