Dressed to Kill (1980)

From a technical strand-point, Brian de Palma’s 1980 psychological thriller Dressed to Kill is top notch. His fascination with the techniques of filmmaking makes the film a treasure trove for cinephiles. The film has its detractors, of course, but fans of split-diopter and tracking shots can’t deny that Dressed to Kill has beautiful examples of both. And I’ll admit, I can be charmed by a film’s style enough to forgive deviations from its narrative. Mr. de Palma believes you can too. On this episode of the Diabolique Webcast, David Kleiler and I consider the merits of Dressed to Kill, which will be released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection in September.