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Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly

Mystery · Thriller · Crime · 1955

One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.

Movie details

Kiss Me Deadly

“Blood red kisses! White hot thrills! Mickey Spillane’s latest H-bomb!”

1955 Mystery · Thriller · Crime 1h 46m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Kiss Me Deadly?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Aldrich

Written by

A.I. Bezzerides

Ralph Meeker

Ralph Meeker

Mike Hammer

Albert Dekker

Albert Dekker

Dr. G.E. Soberin

Paul Stewart

Paul Stewart

Carl Evello

Juano Hernández

Juano Hernández

Eddie Yeager

Wesley Addy

Wesley Addy

Lt. Pat Murphy

Marian Carr

Marian Carr

Friday

Maxine Cooper

Maxine Cooper

Velda

Court is in session

Put Kiss Me Deadly on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.