Wonderful, passionate acting! Crackling dialogue most the time! Tension like an overhead high voltage wire! The then brand-new Chevy Corvette never looked better nor so modern! Superbly atmospheric black and white cinematography with cant angle shots a la "The Third Man". A soundtrack that is an exemplar for how to do sound- it pushes the film forward in a naturalistic manner.
So why do I only rate "Kiss Me Deadly" seven out of ten? Because this film is a scriptwriting lesson in getting characterisation spot-on, getting dialogue spot on, and even getting the major plot points about okay, in a convoluted, film noir sort of way. But.. and it's a big but.. despite being at the height of the cold war, the plot is really just too far fetched, and worst of all, the ending just simply ends - right in the middle of the action. That's it. They couldn't wait to get the end-title up. I realise why they did it that way, but it defies all conventions of good plotting. Let the audience out of the picture; tie up the loose ends; get out gracefully. I guess there just was hardly anyone left alive to bother with loose ends - but this film, for all its strengths, marks a transition point in Hollywood between the classic "old" studio system pictures and the mess that the industry was to end up in, by the time the 1960s hit.
Nevertheless, "Kiss Me Deadly" has some of the most wonderful, spell-binding performances you're ever likely to see on the silver screen. Here is a film that everyone really tried to do something with (starting with opening credits that have to be read bottom up!) and in large measure they succeeded. Terrific! Just that there was nothing left (literally) to think about when the theatre lights went up after the end credit.
So why do I only rate "Kiss Me Deadly" seven out of ten? Because this film is a scriptwriting lesson in getting characterisation spot-on, getting dialogue spot on, and even getting the major plot points about okay, in a convoluted, film noir sort of way. But.. and it's a big but.. despite being at the height of the cold war, the plot is really just too far fetched, and worst of all, the ending just simply ends - right in the middle of the action. That's it. They couldn't wait to get the end-title up. I realise why they did it that way, but it defies all conventions of good plotting. Let the audience out of the picture; tie up the loose ends; get out gracefully. I guess there just was hardly anyone left alive to bother with loose ends - but this film, for all its strengths, marks a transition point in Hollywood between the classic "old" studio system pictures and the mess that the industry was to end up in, by the time the 1960s hit.
Nevertheless, "Kiss Me Deadly" has some of the most wonderful, spell-binding performances you're ever likely to see on the silver screen. Here is a film that everyone really tried to do something with (starting with opening credits that have to be read bottom up!) and in large measure they succeeded. Terrific! Just that there was nothing left (literally) to think about when the theatre lights went up after the end credit.