rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1955
Directed by Robert Aldrich; produced by Robert Aldrich; written by A.I. Bezzerides; based on the novel by Mickey Spillane
Starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, Wesley Addy, Maxine Cooper, Cloris Leachman
'Kiss Me Deadly' is one of the most violent films from the Hollywood 1950s. It is film noir alright, but throws in a very unlikable hero, abusive and violent, and a plot that deals with the paranoia around the Cold War. Weird but interesting - more real in its depiction of violence and sexuality, more fantasy in its dialogue and, in the end, in what it turns out to be about - the film grabs the viewer with an outstanding opening scene and never really lets go.
The opening scene introduces Cloris Leachman in her first feature film, running around in an overcoat, naked underneath. She stops Hammer (Ralph Meeker) who takes her with him. Before they are run from the road she tells Hammer "remember me". The woman is tortured, apparently on places they did not even speak about in the 1950s, and both she and Hammer are left for dead. Hammer, of course, is not, and he, conveniently a private eye, starts his investigion. He crosses paths with the police, also looking for answers, and is helped by sidekicks Nick (Nick Dennis) and Velda (Maxine Cooper), who is sometimes also his lover.
On the way we meet more friends and villains, but since this is film noir, we are never really sure what to believe. We are sure of one thing, the girl is dead, although in many noirs even those aspects are not certain, and it happened for an important reason. Remarkable about the film is how ruthless Hammer works. He solves every little problem with violence. Not that he avoids the usual film noir-dialogue, but at one point or another he uses his muscles instead of his brain. It turns out to be refreshingly uncompromising, reminding a little of Mel Gibson's Porter in 'Payback'.
The reason for all the commotion is of course nothing more than the "MacGuffin", something that keeps the plot going. It is more or less interesting since it shows very well in what time this film was made and where the fear of the public was to be found, but it could have been any secret. There being a secret is way more important than what it actually turns out to be and this film shows how little it matters. In all fairness, here it is kind of ridiculous.
That said, nobody cares. This film noir, like many others, is more about the trip than about the destination. The dark film works as entertainment. It also keeps us second guessing, and in a way, we join Hammer on his search. It seems possible to figure it all out before he does. Both characters and their dialogue work on their own level, which means only in a film noir. The atmospheric darkness is just right and the tension delivered in the opening is always present. 'Kiss Me Deadly' plays within a genre, but knows how to be unique as well. For that alone I highly recommend it.