{"id":2837,"date":"2007-03-30T14:56:19","date_gmt":"2007-03-30T21:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2837"},"modified":"2022-12-21T22:42:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T05:42:27","slug":"kiss-me-deadly-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2837","title":{"rendered":"Kiss Me Deadly (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;First you find a little thread. A little thread leads you to a string, and the string leads you to a rope&#8230; And from the rope &#8212; you hang by the neck.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-30946\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter narrowly escaping death, private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) investigates the mysterious murder of a hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), hoping he will stumble onto big money.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cloris Leachman Films<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters and Mafia<\/li>\n<li>Juano Hernandez Films<\/li>\n<li>Los Angeles<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear Threat<\/li>\n<li>Paul Stewart Films<\/li>\n<li>Ralph Meeker Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Aldrich Films<\/li>\n<li>Search<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, this adaptation of Mickey Spillane&#8217;s 1952 detective novel remains &#8220;one of the most dazzling works of the fifties&#8221;. Director Robert Aldrich makes effective use of &#8220;wild camera angles and abrupt, jarring editing to symbolize a world out of orbit&#8221;: from the film&#8217;s opening sequence &#8212; in which breathless Cloris Leachman literally throws herself in front of Hammer&#8217;s car to get him to stop &#8212; we recognize that everyone in this universe is out for himself; indeed, Hammer pursues the mystery of Leachman&#8217;s death out of greed rather than a sense of decency, and readily prostitutes his adoring girlfriend (well played by Maxine Cooper) to earn a buck. Although none of the characters in <em>Kiss Me Deadly <\/em>are particularly appealing, we remain glued to our seats in anticipation of discovering what&#8217;s contained in the mysterious box Hammer (and top-level crooks) are after; the final scenes &#8212; which reveal the answer to this mystery &#8212; remain perhaps the most taut denouement of any detective thriller in cinematic history.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Meeker-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cloris Leachman in her first (albeit far too brief) film role<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Leachman-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gaby Rodgers as Leachman&#8217;s manipulative roommate<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Rodgers-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Maxine Cooper as Hammer&#8217;s loyal girlfriend<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cooper-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The highly memorable opening sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Opening-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Hammer&#8217;s reel-to-reel answering machine &#8212; probably the first shown on-screen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Reel-to-Reel-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effectively brutal and realistic violence, without explicit gore<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Violence-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of diverse Los Angeles locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Los-Angeles-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ernest Laszlo&#8217;s noirish cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Cinema-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Creative opening titles, rolling backwards across the screen like painted words on asphalt<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Titles-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The truly frightening ending sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/KMD-Ending-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. Aldrich&#8217;s once-controversial noir classic &#8212; which, as Peary notes, was &#8220;a major influence on the French New Wave&#8221; &#8212; holds a special place in film history. Discussed at length in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\">Peary&#8217;s <em>Cult Movies<\/em> (1981)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Controversial Film<\/li>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Historical Importance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0048261\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cgi-bin\/article.cgi?f=\/c\/a\/1995\/10\/06\/DD46164.DTL\">San Francisco Chronicle Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/17627\/kiss-me-deadly#articles-reviews?articleId=35867\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s286kiss.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/78774.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;First you find a little thread. A little thread leads you to a string, and the string leads you to a rope&#8230; And from the rope &#8212; you hang by the neck.&#8221; Synopsis: After narrowly escaping death, private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) investigates the mysterious murder of a hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), hoping he will stumble onto big money. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cloris Leachman Films Detectives and Private Eyes Gangsters and Mafia Juano Hernandez Films Los Angeles Murder&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2837\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2837"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88982,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837\/revisions\/88982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}