Kiss Me Deadly delivers the 'white-hot thrills' and 'blood-red kisses' promised by its publicity, as well as reminding us whence Tarantino stole his best riffs.
Comment
06/24/06
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
96
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:25
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: An intriguing, wonderfully subversive blend of art and commerce, Kiss Me Deadly is an influential noir classic.
Theatrical Release:16-06-2006
Synopsis: Hard-hitting detective Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) takes on thugs and atomic secrets in Robert Aldrich's fast-paced thriller KISS ME DEADLY, an adaptation of the Mickey Spillane novel. The night... [More]
Starring: Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Cloris Leachman
Director: Robert Aldrich
Reviews for Kiss Me Deadly
A crucial influence on what would become the French new wave, an irresistibly seedy trip through the Los Angeles underworld, and a valuable artifact of Cold War anxiety.
02/09/06
Top CriticIn the dingy, black-and-white halls of the film noir pantheon, they've a special place set aside for Kiss Me Deadly.
03/27/09
Top CriticNoir taken to its most nihilistic extreme, with an atomic menace that guarantees a memorably explosive climax.
08/16/01
Top CriticClick to read the article
05/30/06
Top CriticAs volatile and disturbing today as it was some 50 years ago, Kiss Me Deadly consistently surprises with its uncompromising content.
07/25/03
...maybe the most subversive of all films noir, encompassing everything from atomic femme fatales to masculinity amok and the Bomb.
05/14/04
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) is the definitive, apocalyptic, nihilistic, science-fiction film noir of all time. The film's 50's Los Angeles hero
01/01/00
Dazzling film noir masterpiece.
08/09/07
It's a B-picture. Still, no amount of badly post-synchronized dialogue can mask the technical and aesthetic prowess that Aldrich shows here.
07/24/02
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.
03/27/09
It's not a horror movie by any means, but like a good horror movie it has images and tiny loose ends that make sense on a subconscious level.
01/01/00
It's not the greatest thriller ever, but Kiss Me Deadly is classic film noir.
04/15/05
Never was Mike Hammer's name more fitting than in Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich's blisteringly nihilistic noir.
05/01/06
Best exemplifies a curious cross between "art" and pulp fiction.
12/26/04
The trail leads to a series of amorous dames, murder-minded plug-uglies and dangerous adventures that offer excitement but have little clarity to let the viewer know what's going on.
10/30/08
Top CriticThe brutality of the film’s characters and its scenario are shocking enough today, but in 1955, they were gobsmacking.
10/18/08
One of the most brutal films ever made.
01/01/00
Top CriticPerversely fascinating and completely unsettling.
08/27/03
Intriguing cold war thriller. Meeker was born to play Mike Hammer.
05/23/04
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds