74
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100This ingenious erotic thriller full of unexpected shocks is best seen with no foreknowledge and even better at a second viewing.
- 100Slant MagazineEric HendersonSlant MagazineEric HendersonThe pleasures of Dressed to Kill flat out do not translate to print, but for what it’s worth it is the most perfectly-directed film ever, provided you, like me, bust into orgasmic laughter when De Palma’s double-shuffling editing makes it seem like the only threat Nancy Allen and a wooden cop can see boarding the subway is a 250-pound bag lady.
- 91The A.V. ClubAdam NaymanThe A.V. ClubAdam NaymanIt’s easy to see why people hated a movie as arch, violent, and glib as Dressed To Kill, and equally clear that this is exactly what De Palma was going for with all the gusto he could muster.
- 90The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyA witty, romantic, psychological horror film and it's almost as rewarding as a successful analysis...The fun is not in logic but watching how Mr. De Palma successfully tops himself as he goes along, and the fun lasts from the sexy, comic opening sequence right through to the film's several endings.
- 75Chicago TribuneGene SiskelChicago TribuneGene SiskelA stylish, violent thriller about a sexually frustrated woman (Angie Dickinson), whose fantasies lead to a murder mystery. Directed by Brian De Palma ("Carrie"). Effective, but not for the kids. [1 Aug 1980, p.4-10]
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertStylish, intriguing, and very violent.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineAll dressed up with no script to go, but a feverish nerve jangler nonetheless.
- 75The Film StageMichael SnydelThe Film StageMichael SnydelThe masterful ten-minute gallery set piece, for instance, is first positioned as a scene of meditation as she absentmindedly gazes around the room, looking back and forth between the paintings in the room and the people around her until Pino Donaggio’s serenely swirling score ebbs and flows with her own rising passions.
- 40Time Out LondonTime Out LondonUltimately, the film amounts to little more than a consummate study of suspense technique, all dressed up with nowhere to go.