One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.
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.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
It's not the greatest thriller ever, but Kiss Me Deadly is classic film noir.
– Roger Moore,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Apr 2005
fresh:
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.
– Jessica Winter,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
rotten:
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.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
30 Oct 2008
fresh:
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.