dress to kill understandably make a bit of a ruckus when first release in 1980 represent you have police girl in a role that be mega erotic and a angie dicknson play a sexually frustrated housewife look for good time in all the wrong museum ( and there into apartment elevator ) and plus nancy allen a a call girl and michael caine a norman bates sophisticate new york cousin and and enough lurid imagery to last two movie of the period . today it slightly less incriminating by standard and such and though the unrated version have some of the most hot content of any of de palma film and at least in his quasi auteur period of the 70 and early 80 and where he seem to repeat theme over and over and idea take right off the film reel of hitchcock classic and give a tawdry uplift . it a simple tale that one partly already saw in sister and and then again to an extent in body double and and also in blow out . cutie allen play call girl liz blake and who have to clear her name of suspicion of kill kate ( dickinson and in full blown milf mode ) and after be find with a razor and the murder weapon from dr. elliott office ( michael caine and stone cold performance most of the way ) . from the start and which de palma seem to do a a way of set up a dangerous sexual fantasy scene a a way of top the opening scene of carrie ( which and perhaps and he do just in edit term ) and we get a series of technical knock out turn through the point of view of style itself represent the track shot in the museum and meant to stir up more of a fascination with the process itself and of follow and want to be follow and than any kind of tension while the chase through the subway ( a precursor to carlito way ) be do with a precise level of suspense and meanwhile and with a slightly exploitation bit thrown in with the black gang while the character of peter and kate son ( keith gordon ) and who play what be essentially a young version of the real life de palma a a kid ( science geek and obsess with hitchcock and voyeurism ) . and it all entertaining and entrance as hell a something that come close to a real synthesis of what make de palma thriller so unique while be so self consciously untainted by a fearless attitude of film making . on the other hand and that same self consciousness end up come back to bite the director in the butt a few time in recent year and and somehow in dress to kill it start to become very erratic and disappointing a the story have to wrap itself up . a the psycho theme come together even more apparently ( man who want a sex change and doesn not even think he kill a it be she who be do it ) and there be an expository scene in the police station that make the aforementioned hitch film look like an astonishing psychological revelation . and the final scene at peter house and also call painfully into recollection a much more accomplished sequence in carrie and be mean for a manipulation that even for de palma be ask for it while the final shot especially and albeit a master class in how to copy yourself . yet there be a very deranged and and within itself and perfect scene at the mental hospital amid this confused denouement and where the doctor do some work on a nurse and to which all the other inmate act like animal in a zoo and and an over head shot go up and up over the scene be one of the best shot of sexual or general perversion ever capture on film . a shame then that the film end on such a strange and unsettling manner and where up until then it be a remarkable piece of pulp cinema and where class be all around in the technical aspect ( soft lighting and intricate camera movement seemingly so simple ) amid subject matter that should be find in the mix of paperback for 25 cent . it no masterpiece and but i would certainly take it over most of the director recent thriller any day .