Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

98% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings

One evening, private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a strange woman, Christina (Cloris Leachman), who's standing on the highway wearing only a trench coat. They're stopped farther on by strangers who knock out Mike and murder Christina. Although warned not to investigate by the police, Mike and his girlfriend and assistant, Velda (Maxine Cooper), become ensnared in a dark plot involving scientist Dr. Soberin (Albert Dekker) and Christina's terrified roommate, Lily (Gaby Rodgers).

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Kiss Me Deadly

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Critics Consensus

An intriguing, wonderfully subversive blend of art and commerce, Kiss Me Deadly is an influential noir classic.

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Critics Reviews

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Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Richard Brody New Yorker The actors' idiosyncratic voices, wrapped around such chrome-plated poetry as "the great whatsit" and "va-va-voom," are as hauntingly musical as Aldrich's images. Sep 12, 2016 Full Review Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Chris Nashawaty Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Jun 16, 2011 Full Review Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Dave Kehr Chicago Reader This independently produced low-budget film was a shining example for the New Wave directors -- Truffaut, Godard, et al -- who found it proof positive that commercial films could accommodate the quirkiest and most personal of visions. Mar 27, 2009 Full Review Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault It takes Mickey Spillane's unreconstructed macho lout Mike Hammer and brutally interrogates him, slapping him around in a jazzy bebop rhythm that rides right up to apocalypse. Rated: A+ Nov 29, 2022 Full Review Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The climax is so startlingly unusual that this Robert Aldrich-directed picture safely becomes unforgettable. Rated: 7/10 Aug 23, 2020 Full Review Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Chris Barsanti Eyes Wide Open By the time the movie comes to its gonzo Pandora's box conclusion on the beach, neither script nor screen have been able to keep up with reason, preferring instead to simply stay out of Hammer's way. Jul 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leo P I saw this B movie first time as a kid.I didn't understand what was that glowing and groaning thing in the shoe box and I became really scared.The sole purpose of this miscarriage is to frighten children,and can be of interest only for those who want to see one of the very first models of answering machine in action. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/06/24 Full Review Leaburn O Noir sci-fi weirdness. Psychedelic and fantastical but also hard to care about. Has all the signposts of a great noir but the intrigue is never adequately paid off or developed. Just ends with this pseudo nuclear nonsense. Watched on DVD. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review Andrew L Robert Aldrich gets Mickey Spillane's most famous character right in this film noir that takes a simple plot and raises the stakes to where the main character, an inexpensive private eye with little-to-no morals named Mike Hammer, has to stop a global catastrophe. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/09/24 Full Review acsdoug D Ralph Meeker looks the part of a tough guy detective, but he doesn't sound like one. That high pitched voice of his really detracts from the character. Maybe if he was a better actor he could overcome that deficiency. Still the film has all you could wish for in a detective noir: thugs. violence and pretty dames. Good enough for me. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review nick s Surprisingly gritty movie with an unsympathetic main character who doesn't stay within social guardrails. Lots of eye catching locations as he follows the clues around town. Some of the editing was a bit rough, the acting had some soft patches and the plot was merely squeezing one person after another to uncover the macguffin. However, all that doesn't take away from the fact this was excellent entertainment. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/07/24 Full Review John H a very great noir movie Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Kiss Me Deadly

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Cast & Crew

Robert Aldrich Director Ralph Meeker Mike Hammer Albert Dekker Dr. G.E. Soberin Paul Stewart Carl Evello Maxine Cooper Velda Gaby Rodgers Gabrielle
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Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) Kiss Me Deadly (1955) View more photos

Synopsis One evening, private detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a strange woman, Christina (Cloris Leachman), who's standing on the highway wearing only a trench coat. They're stopped farther on by strangers who knock out Mike and murder Christina. Although warned not to investigate by the police, Mike and his girlfriend and assistant, Velda (Maxine Cooper), become ensnared in a dark plot involving scientist Dr. Soberin (Albert Dekker) and Christina's terrified roommate, Lily (Gaby Rodgers).

Director
Robert Aldrich

Producer
Robert Aldrich

Screenwriter
Mickey Spillane, A. I. Bezzerides

Distributor
United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.

Production Co
United Artists

Genre
Crime, Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
May 18, 1955, Original

Release Date (DVD)
Jun 19, 2001

Box Office (Gross USA)
$882

Runtime
1h 45m

Sound Mix
Mono

Aspect Ratio
35mm, 1.66:1
Kiss Me Deadly | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)
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