Dressed to Kill [Blu-ray] [Import]

It's very exciting to see DRESSED TO KILL on blu ray and for all fans the question when a blu ray of an older film already owned on dvd comes to blu ray is - how does it look? Is it worth it to double or even triple dip? The answer here is a resounding YES - the film looks and sounds great on blu ray and is a must have. There has always been much controversy over how good a film DRESSED TO KILL is and as to how original director Brian De Palma actually is. Many critics considered this a Hitchcock rip-off and others thought De Palma used his same standard directiorial mechanics here to results similar to his other films. I myself love this film and like to think any Hitchcockian comparisons are actually done in a respectful bow to Hitchcock. And though I did find some scenes similar to those in De Palma's CARRIE, this film stands on its own as an excellent scary and suspenseful film with a very original story line. We know De Palma loves his shower scenes here and the shots with Angie Dickinson (and the body double for close ups) are legendary.

But what about the bu ray. This is a film from 1980 and overall the video presentation here is superb. Though the picture isn't always fully sharp the clarity is excellent. Close ups are crystal clear with flesh tones very realistic. Colors are vivid and pop. The black/white ratio is overall excellent. Sometimes blacks come across a little shadowy but this most likely has to do with the original film source. There is some graininess but it is again part of the intentional viewing experince. With the blu ray you get an overall clear, exciting and vivid picture with clarity that pulls you in. And the audio is amazing. The DTS HD Master 5.1 track provided has dialogue strong throughout with all the surround speakers used to full effect. In the shower scenes you will hear water from all your speakers. Background noise and the ever effective musical score that highlight this film come out strong and sure from all speakers as well. This film is one that will scare you. From the click of Angie Dickinson's shoes as she walks thru the museum to the swipe of the blade the sounds are all strong and realistic. And the true scare moments - just let me say the excellent audio here will have you jumping out of your skin.

Debates aside this film is excellent and definitely a standout thriller from the 80s. The plot is also above your regular thriller. From the opening shower scene with Angie to the film end every scene has a purpose in the plot. This is an adult thriller and I highly recommend the superb blu ray transfer. It will be like watching the film for the first time.

First,about the blu ray. It has an improved picture. Noticeable, especially at the end of the museum scene where there used to be a glitch on the negative on the 2001 dvd. It was filmed in 2:35 widescreen aspect ratio so there will be black bars on your t.v. The DTS sound is great you can hear the music better. It was smart of them to keep the special features from the 2001 dvd. They were well done. Wish the same had been done for the blu ray of "Carrie"('76). I am very pleased with this blu ray and certainly hope they use the special features from the special edition dvd's of "The Fog"('80), "The Howling"('81), and eventually "Carrie"('76).
This original thriller has Hitchcockian touches, but is its own film. Very artistically done with excellent camera work, such as the framing of the shots, use of split screen and split diopter for scenes. Great costumes by Ann Roth and a fine score by Pino Donaggio. It was modern for its time and still is in a lot of ways as far as the look of the film and its complicated adult themes.

This is one of my favorite De Palma films, next to Blow Out. I absolutely adore his early work (Sisters, Obsession, The Fury, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Body Double), I don't think his thrillers have been matched in style and tension. This is an extremely solid film for it's genre and time. I feel it holds up well. Brief Synopsis to avoid spoilers: A psychiatrist has women patients being stalked and attacked. The son of one of the victims goes into his own investigation to find out who the killer is as well. I know this description is arbitrary...but for other De Palma fans who've seen this, the fun is discovering this film as blindly as possible. Pino Donnagio's music, De Palma's cinematography (the museum scenes anyone?), and his pacing is absolutely seemless and beautiful. It's hard to deny this is an inspired homage to Hitchcock's films, in a great way though.

My gripe with this release? Shame on MGM for releasing such a sub par disc on this beautiful film. The transfer is an improvement, some what. The sound, not so much. There isn't even a menu and the special features are the same features you can see from the DVD release of 2001. Why bother? Understandably...they went all out on the new Scarface release, but why not show the same appreciation and effort to introduce this film to a completely different audience? MGM shouldve sold the rights to Criterion Collection. Criterion wouldve treated this film the way it truly shouldve been. Watch this film! Enjoy...just be aware...it's the lesser of two evils buying this ridiculous excuse for a release. You can buy this at a normal price...or spend an arm and a leg from some turd that knows the DVD is out of print, and is milking it.