Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

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Wait, what? Right from the superb opening sequence it's obvious that Kiss Me Deadly is something special, but it isn't until the finale that "special" begins to feel like it ought to be followed by "needs" or "Olympics". There's plenty to like, from the startlingly modern style -- it feels more like a 2000-era indie noir pastiche than a noir itself -- to the subversively villainous anti-hero, a callous reinterpretation of Mickey Spillane's hardboiled detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker).

Less likeable are the last ten minutes, when the film enters the twilight zone: they're well-done, certainly, and without question the primary reason why the film is so well-remembered, but utterly out of place. Worth watching, but what the hell?

- Sam - 2007-07-29 15:22:01