Dressed to Kill – Kino Lorber (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1980
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Brian De Palma
Cast: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz, David Margulies

Release Date: October 25th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 105 Minutes 45 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"A disturbed woman, adrift in steamy sexual fantasies. A New York psychiatrist who seems to have taken on one patient too many. A beautiful call girl caught between the cops and a vicious razor-wielding killer…and the killer herself: a tall, blonde, elusive psycho named Bobbi." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand NEW HDR/Dolby Vision Master From a 16bit 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative."

Dressed to Kill comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 74.6 GB

Feature: 73.7 GB

This is a solid 4K transfer that takes full advantage of Dolby Vision and HDR10. Flesh tones look correct, color saturation, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid, there are no issues with compression, and the grain remains intact. As good as Dressed to Kill has looked on previous home video releases, this new transfer from Kino Lorber is easily the best it has ever looked on home video.

Audio: 4.75/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English), 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound excellent. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. The DTS-HD 5.1 track is a very good remix track that expands upon the mono source. That said, the original mono track is the way to go. It is a solid track that does a fantastic job of exploiting the sound spectrum. Included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film critic and author Maitland McDonagh.

Extras in the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 12 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a teaser trailer (54 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), three TV spots (1 minute 22 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), six radio spots (4 minutes 5 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), three archival audio interviews from 1980: actor Michael Caine (4 minutes 50 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), actress Angie Dickinson (3 minutes 31 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), and actressNancy Allen (14 minutes 31 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette from 2001 titled An Appreciation by actor Keith Gordon (6 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette from 2001 titled Unrated/R-Rated/TV Rated Comparison (5 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette from 2001 titled Slashing Dressed to Kill (9 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary from 2001 titled The Making of Dressed to Kill (43 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview Keith Gordon from 2012 titled Lessons in Filmmaking (30 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview Nancy Allen from 2012 titled Dressed ini Purple (23 minutes 5 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview Nancy Allen from 2012 titled Dressed in Purple (30 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview Angie Dickinson from 2012 titled Dressed in White (29 minute 54 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview producer George Litto from 2012 titled Symphony of Fear (17 minute 37 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Keith Gordon titled An Imitation of Life (14 minute 16 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an interview with associate producer and production manager Fred C. Caruso titled Killer Frames (8 minute 14 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), and an interview with Nancy Allen titled Strictly Business (17 minute 27 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles).

Other extras on the Blu-ray disc include trailers for Play Misty for Me, And Soon the Darkness, Eyes of Laura Mars, Happy Birthday to Me, and Not for Publication.

Other extras include a reversible cover art and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Like so many from my generation, I first became aware of Brian De Palma via the film Scarface. And though there are many flourishes in Scarface that have become synonymous with his distinct style as a filmmaker, Scareface, for me, proved to be nothing more than a gateway for what was yet to come.

Also, like so many film enthusiasts who become enamored with a certain filmmaker and their canon of work, my cinematic journey through the films of Brian De Palma was far removed from the order in which they were originally released. I now consider him at his best, with Dressed to Kill, the film that I now consider his best, being the one that I viewed after I had tracked down the bulk of his filmography. More to come on that film later...

By the early 1980's, Brian De Palma was at a crossroads of sorts. After the huge success of Carrie just four years ago, his next three films all underperformed at the box office. Then, with Dressed to Kill, he would return to familiar territory, the thriller genre, and bring more to the table than his Alfred Hitchcock homage. Most importantly, Dressed to Kill would mark the beginning of what is arguably Brian De Palma’s most violent period as a filmmaker. Beginning with Dressed to Kill and culminating with Body Double.

Where a film begins, where it takes you, and how it ends are equal parts of a greater cause that ultimately needs each other to succeed. Ironically, nowhere is this more clear than in the dream/nightmare sequences that open and close Dressed to Kill. From a technical standpoint, both moments are operatic tour de forces that far exceed the eye candy that drives each sequence. In fact, there is so much subtext in these moments that they come damn near close to summarizing the events that unfold.

That being said, the non-dream/nightmare sequences also have plenty to offer and should not be taken lightly. Like a master chess player, Brian De Palma makes sure that every character, no matter how small or inconsequential, is fully realized three-dimensionally. Let me reiterate, these are not your garden variety characters that Hollywood is hell-bent on recycling for each new blockbuster they spew out. The way Brian De Palma shows, actions have consequences, and the result of said consequences only further enriches the characters who populate Dressed to Kill.

Dressed to Kill appears to be Brian De Palma's attempt to find his own voice while relying less on his influences. The plot owes at least one nod to Brian De Palma’s greatest source of inspiration, Alfred Hitchcock. The way in which it kills off a major character by the end of the first act Of course, Dressed to Kill features a handful of other moments that are oddly similar to some of Brian De Palma’s contemporaries from abroad. Whether he was directly knowledgeable about these directors and their films is nothing more than a guess. In case you were wondering what scene I was most referring to, here is a hint: it takes place in an elevator.

When talking about the films of Brian De Palma, one thing that stands out is his strong sense of visual flair, which at times borders on flamboyant style for the sake of style. In Dressed to Kill, he does a very good job refining those moments of bravado and lets the well-defined character drive the story at hand. In a film with many remarkable visual set pieces, the most stunning of them all is a cat and mouse seduction scene at a museum. This is one of the most striking examples of music and sound that has ever graced the silver screen.

Of course, as good as every area of Dressed to Kill is, the one area where Dressed to Kill excels the most is the performances of its entire cast, especially Michael Caine (Sleuth) in the role of Doctor Robert Elliott. Without giving away the main twist of the film, let’s just say that his character's evolution is the most memorable part of this film. Other notable performances are Angie Dickinson (Police Woman) in the role of a woman whose one night of indiscretion leads to her murder; Keith Gordon (Christine) in the role of her slain woman's son; and Nancy Allen (Robocop) in the role of a high-priced call girl named Liz Blake.

If you haven’t guessed by now, Dressed to Kill is my all-time favorite Brian De Palma film. Where most films' appeals diminish over time, my affection for Dressed to Kill continues to grow with each subsequent viewing.

Dressed to Kill makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from Kino Lorber that comes with a definitive audio/video presentation, four new extras, and a wealth of insightful archival extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer