Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Mickey Spillane (novel)
A.I. Bezzerides (writer)

Release Date:

18 May 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

"I don't care what you do to me, Mike - just do it fast!"

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mike Hammer | Hospital | Mechanic | Hitchhiker | Cliff

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ralph Meeker	...	Mike Hammer
Albert Dekker	...	Dr. G.E. Soberin
Paul Stewart	...	Carl Evello
Juano Hernandez	...	Eddie Yeager
Wesley Addy	...	Lt. Pat Murphy
Marian Carr	...	Friday
Maxine Cooper	...	Velda
Cloris Leachman	...	Christina Bailey
Gaby Rodgers	...	Gabrielle
Nick Dennis	...	Nick
Jack Lambert	...	Sugar Smallhouse
Jack Elam	...	Charlie Max
Jerry Zinneman	...	Sammy
Leigh Snowden	...	Cheesecake
Percy Helton	...	Doc Kennedy

Also Known As:

Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me Deadly (USA)

Runtime:

106 min | USA:104 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Certification:

West Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Germany:18 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Angel's Flight Railway, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Parklane Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

Memo from United Artists: Mickey Spillane's name must be above the title and in the same type style as appears on the "Kiss Me Deadly" Signet Book Jacket.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Nick discovers Hammer's Corvette, a crew member's reflection is visible in the driver-side door.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike Hammer: You almost wrecked my car! Well? Get in!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Notre musique (2004)

Soundtrack:

RATHER HAVE THE BLUES

Mike Hammer, detective

Robert Aldrich was a no-nonsense film director. When he undertook the direction of this film, little did he know it was going to become the extraordinary movie it turned out to be. The fame seems to have come by its discovery in France, as it usually is the case. Based on Mickey Spillane's novel and adapted by Al Bezzerides, the movie has an unique style and it's recommended viewing for fans of the film noir genre.

Right from the start, the film gets our imagination as we watch a young woman running along a California highway. That sequence proved Mr. Aldrich's ability to convey the idea of a disturbed young woman that seems to have escaped from a mental institution. The plot complicates itself as Hammer learns that Christine, the young woman, has died. He decides to investigate, which is what he does best.

Some excellent comments have been submitted to this forum, so we will not even try to expand in the action but will only emphasize in the tremendous visual style Mr. Aldrich added to the film, which seems to be its main attraction. For a fifty year old film, it still has a crisp look to it thanks to the impressive black and white cinematography of Ernest Lazlo, who had a keen eye to show us Hammer's world as he makes it come alive. The great musical score by Frank DeVol fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the L.A. of the fifties.

Ralph Meeker made an excellent contribution as Mike Hammer. He dominates the film with his presence. Albert Decker, Paul Stewart, Miriam Carr, Maxine Cooper, Fortuno Bonanova, and especially Cloris Leachman, in her screen debut, make this film the favorite it has become.

Fans of the genre can thank Mr. Aldrich for making a film that didn't pretend to be anything, yet has stayed as a favorite all these years.