Memorable, crazy movie

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

KISS ME DEADLY is one of the darkest of all film noirs, a film which takes the Mike Hammer/Mickey Spillane source material and, in the hands of director Robert Aldrich, turns it into something obscenely nihilistic; a dark, downbeat, and occasionally downright disturbing slice of hardboiled crime. Ralph Meeker's anti-hero is drawn into a conspiracy plot involving murder and staged accidents, and finds himself up against all manner of murky evil. There are bursts of stark violence throughout, as well as a general hatred of mankind as evinced in the attitude of the characters. All this becomes secondary, however, to the power of the MacGuffin-centred climax, which is one of the most horrific I've ever witnessed.

Based on a novel by Mickey Spillane in atomic shape this is a great thriller to watch. The story is build up around the search for the great "whatsit". The tempo is high in this dark and intriguing story. Ralph Meeker does a high class performance as Spillane's tough private eye, Mike Hammer. Add to that a wonderful lineup of great character-actors like: Albert Dekker, Strother Martin, Percy Helton, Jack Elam and Paul Stewart. There are also some amazing cars and beautiful women. Great entertainment, directed by one of the true masters of the trade: Robert Aldrich. As a bonus we can hear the man with the velvet voice, the unforgettable Nat Kong Cole sing.

Note: This review contains significant SPOILERS. As I was watching for "Kiss Me Deadly" today for the first time, I thought, this is the movie that inspired the look and feel of "Chinatown" more than any other. I even felt that Meeker's matter-of-fact performance as Mike Hammer may have inspired the creation of Jake Gittes, and influenced Nicholson's performance. How about that scene with a very young Strother Martin? I had to go back and watch the film a couple of more times before I realized that's who was playing the truck driver who accidentally ran down one of the victims. The film came out 60 years ago, but it does feel very modern. Some absurdities such as the fact that Christina was able to conceal the key while she was in the mental hospital, since she probably would have been unable to carry it in her stomach for that long without her body getting rid of it in the usual manner. Also, when Mike Hammer went to the morgue to look at Christina's body, it had theoretically been weeks since her death (per Lt. Murphy, in the hospital room scene at the film's beginning) yet Christina's face still looked pretty much as it had when she was alive. Not that it matters, but, did we ever find out how Christina got involved in the plot (the plot within the film, not the film's plot) to begin with? And, of course, what was the nature of what was "in the box" which was so unstable that it caused a nuclear explosion when opened, but could be hauled around in just a metal container and outer case which appeared to be leather, not lead?Ralph Meeker looked like Pat Boone, a bit, but he sure didn't act like him. He was quite a compelling anti-hero, but he met his match in Maxine Cooper, as Velda. I couldn't take my eyes off her during her scenes, and loved her dialogue, especially her references to "the great Whatsit."Cloris Leachman, 60 years ago, was feisty and charming in her brief role. Gaby Rogers, as Lily Carver, came across as a strange and campy presence in the film, but it was that very unreality that made her memorable. We didn't need to see Albert Dekker's face at all, because he did most of his acting with his detached and not-quite-human voice, like the great radio announcer in the sky. An altogether weird, offbeat, and striking film noir, an obvious inspiration to other directors and to many other films, and a film that every noir buff should see. Regarding the film's meaning, I'll leave that for another time. These are just first impressions.

When my Grandfather took me to see this as a kid, neither of us were ready for what came along. It remained in my memory for many of the wrong reasons...namely, cheap shocks, and horror. The ending burnt itself into my nightmares for some years. Looking back with a trained eye and mature mind, it comes across the way many critics of its day quite rightly described it...as tawdry. Some critics have lately given it more attention than it deserves. It appears perhaps many folk who grew up with 50s-70s TV, may not have such a high expectation in the writing or production quality stakes, as they seem to be more easily pleased. The opening, while an immediate attention grabber, somehow has the look of a reasonable home movie. This look continues with a scene in Hammer's trendy apartment, where the full shape of the camera can be seen in shadow on his body, it then tracks with him and becomes even more painfully obvious as it ends up filling the floor space after he moves out of frame. This is an instant mood killer for the serious film lover. Any director worth his salt would have picked it up and re-shot it. But this is a quickie, wrapped up in around three weeks, and it shows. Hungarian born Director of Photography: Ernest Laszlo (Naked Jungle '56 ~ Stalag 17 '53) who went on to be nominated for better work, must have cringed when he saw the rushes! And while I quite liked director Robert Aldrich's "The Big Knife" in the same year, I think it was carried by Clifford Odet's penetrating story. Aldrich seemed more interested in being controversial than creative. Writer: Micky Spillane, when he saw the completed film, described it as one of the worst films he'd seen. He actually walked out the first time, then tried again, with no improvement. He cited A.I. Bezzerides screen play as little more than junk, turning his Mike Hammer character into no more than a sadistic thug. Bezzerides had achieved better when working with Jules Dassin on "Thieves Highway" in '49.I don't think Ralph Meeker's career was helped along by this film. Aldrich's soul-less direction left his Mike Hammer character quite bland, lifeless. Apart from one or two interesting roles, Meeker unfortunately languished in the background. An unusual early film (just about forgotten now) from MGM "Glory Alley" '52 showed some mild promise, and in the superb "Paths of Glory" in '57, he was even better - but these were not well followed up. Paul Stewart is good, so is Juano Hernandez in a small part. But Nick Dennis as Nick Va Va Voom (believe it or not!) is simply annoying to the extreme. Albert Dekker who's given somewhat prominent billing, is nothing more than a guest star, with only a few minutes screen time --an Aldrich audience con-- The girls are all reduced to cheap throw away sex objects, and none, save Cloris Leachman (with only a few minutes on screen) are very convincing.Frank Devol's music score is basically hammy, with embarrassing jabs and stings to herald any supposed drama. Devol excelled at jovial or melodic scores for TV sit com's, but regardless, Aldrich often used him for drama. Along with the somewhat slimy Wesley Addy as Lt Murphy, and Albert Dekker, I think many roles were simply 'jobs for the boys'.For those who like cheap 'B' grade 'wannabe' noirs, or sadism masquerading as entertainment...(the scene where Hammer jams Percy Helton's fingers in a drawer, while snickering with delight at his screams of agony, is sadistically obvious, and unintentionally funny at the same time)...then this movie won't disappoint you. Others might need to beware. As for "that ending" while it filled me with fear as a kid - with its curious container, filled with ultra radiant molten nuclear death, locked only by a simple key, that when opened...(complete with the sound of howling demons) explodes like a nuclear bomb! This type of blast would more likely have taken out an entire section of the coastline, not just the holiday beach house! It's little wonder then, that some intelligent editor removed from the original cinema release prints, those somewhat foolish shots of an already radiated Hammer and his muse - hiding from this massive blast in ankle deep water. This apparently unknown editor, did this by cutting directly from the blast, to the end title. BUT then...along comes some enthusiastic DVD researcher, finds the cuts, and puts them back in. Just the ticket for a modern audience...Goodbye Mr.Hammer!