Kiss Me Deadly

1955
Approved
1h 46m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

23K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:15

2 Videos

99 Photos

Film Noir Crime Mystery Sci-Fi Thriller

A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".

Director
- Robert Aldrich
Writers
- Mickey Spillane
- A.I. Bezzerides
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

23K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Robert Aldrich
Writers
- Mickey Spillane
- A.I. Bezzerides
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Videos2

Trailer 2:15

Trailer

Clip 5:23

Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

Clip 5:23

Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

Photos117

111

More like this

7.6

Pickup on South Street

7.7

7.9

7.6

7.9

7.5

8.0

7.9

7.5

The Lady from Shanghai

7.3

Detour

7.8

The Asphalt Jungle

8.0

Sweet Smell of Success

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s, singled this out as 1955's number one menace to American youth. Because of this, Robert Aldrich felt compelled to conduct a writing campaign for the free speech rights of independent filmmakers.

Goofs
At the beginning, Christina (Cloris Leachman) is shown running at the side of the highway, but the shots of only her feet show her running along the painted center line of the highway.

Quotes
Mike Hammer: You're never around when I need you.
Velda: You never need me when I'm around.

Crazy credits
The opening credits scroll down instead of the usual up, resulting in needing to read them bottom to top.

Alternate versions
Until 1997, all known copies in circulation of "Kiss Me Deadly" ended rather abruptly: the wounded Mike Hammer stumbling through the beach house looking for his partner Velda, and then there's a couple of brief shots of the house exploding and burning, with "The End" superimposed on the final shot. The music is cut off instead of fading out, and the screen turns black; it looks like Mike and Velda died in the blaze.

Connections
Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)

Soundtracks
Rather Have the Blues
Sung by Nat 'King' Cole
Written by Frank De Vol (uncredited)
[Played on the car radio during the opening title card and credits]

User reviews228

Review

Featured review

10/10

Want to see a modern-day thriller made 43 years ago?

Kiss Me Deadly is an absolute joy to watch. There are no big-name stars, the director has never been mentioned in the same breath as a Hitchcock or Huston, and it's basically a simple Mickey Spillane story. How its presented on the screen is the genius of the picture. Right from the opening credit sequence, you know you're in for something fresh and innovative. This is a must see for fans of Quentin Tarantino, and there is a curious box containing a certain substance that glows when opened (Pulp Fiction, anyone?). It is one of the finest of the "film noir" genre, predominantly because of the moody black and white photography and its amazing 'timeless' appeal (I would rank it alongside Touch of Evil). It's great to know the film has been "rediscovered", and be sure to see a copy of the film containing 2 different versions of the mind-boggling final sequence shot at the time.