It's Brian De Palma going full-tilt Psycho, which is to say this is a most Hitchcockian affair, paying great homage to the 'Master of Suspense' with its first-act faux-protagonist murder, shower scene allusions, and queer aspects. De Palma, alongside the rest of the cast and crew, are on demon-timing for the entire duration of Dressed to Kill — whether it be in the unnerving POV shots that'll linger in the mind for years to come, the split-screen and split-diopter montages, the air of uncomfortable psychosexualness, or just the general trashy giallo atmosphere that this film is so heavily steeped in.
As bold as it is for a mainstream film from this time period to portray transgender characters with some depth and complexity, it unfortunately seems to maybe stake the claim that Trans People Might Be Weird And Fucked Up. It's one thing to have a trans villain, it's another to make them the villain because of their transness — Michael Caine's split personalities (on one side you have Dr. Elliott the male psychiatrist, on the other you have Bobbi the female inside) fighting for control when their shared sexual arousal for certain women leads Bobbi to emerge and attempt to destroy the object of desire. In essence, for Elliott to become Bobbi they must kill what they lack. It's a remarkably interesting idea that must've sent shockwaves throughout the theatre back then, but nowadays it doesn't exactly hold up to scrutiny.
Questionable right? But then De Palma inserts scenes throughout that lean more positive, such as the sequence where Elliott is watching an interview with a trans woman on the TV and, despite some of the language being technically dated, she's portrayed like most anyone else, a completely normal human being. Then there's a scene in the final leg of the film where Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon's characters are talking matter-of-factly about the MTF surgical process. Behind Keith is an old woman overhearing their discussion and acting shocked at all the "gruesome" details, and behind Nancy is a young woman who doesn't seem to care one bit, just going about with her day. I'd say it's De Palma getting a bit of a layered gag in — on one hand you have his trashy side inviting the viewer to laugh at how absurd that process is, but on the other you have him turning out-of-touch old people who refuse to get with the changing times into a laughing stock, with said discussion being presented so ordinarily in contrast to the overblown melodrama in the background. I don't think De Palma has much hate in his heart, I think he's just a pervert who enjoys examining sexually risque subjects, and with Dressed to Kill it just so happened to be transfemme Michael Caine in a cunty blonde wig.
I think this is a near-masterpiece of a thriller that's bogged down by its half sincere/half insincere attempts at showcasing and analysing trans people. It's not the easiest thing to overlook as the whole films hinges on it, but seeing that the rest of the film is De Palma at his freakiest, it's well worth the watch anyway. It's a tricky one!
It's Brian De Palma going full-tilt Psycho, which is to say this is a most Hitchcockian affair, paying great homage to the 'Master of Suspense' with its first-act faux-protagonist murder, shower scene allusions, and queer aspects. De Palma, alongside the rest of the cast and crew, are on demon-timing for the entire duration of Dressed to Kill — whether it be in the unnerving POV shots that'll linger in the mind for years to come, the split-screen and split-diopter montages, the air of uncomfortable psychosexualness, or just the general trashy giallo atmosphere that this film is so heavily steeped in.
As bold as it is for a mainstream film from this time period to portray transgender characters with some depth and complexity, it unfortunately seems to maybe stake the claim that Trans People Might Be Weird And Fucked Up. It's one thing to have a trans villain, it's another to make them the villain because of their transness — Michael Caine's split personalities (on one side you have Dr. Elliott the male psychiatrist, on the other you have Bobbi the female inside) fighting for control when their shared sexual arousal for certain women leads Bobbi to emerge and attempt to destroy the object of desire. In essence, for Elliott to become Bobbi they must kill what they lack. It's a remarkably interesting idea that must've sent shockwaves throughout the theatre back then, but nowadays it doesn't exactly hold up to scrutiny.
Questionable right? But then De Palma inserts scenes throughout that lean more positive, such as the sequence where Elliott is watching an interview with a trans woman on the TV and, despite some of the language being technically dated, she's portrayed like most anyone else, a completely normal human being. Then there's a scene in the final leg of the film where Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon's characters are talking matter-of-factly about the MTF surgical process. Behind Keith is an old woman overhearing their discussion and acting shocked at all the "gruesome" details, and behind Nancy is a young woman who doesn't seem to care one bit, just going about with her day. I'd say it's De Palma getting a bit of a layered gag in — on one hand you have his trashy side inviting the viewer to laugh at how absurd that process is, but on the other you have him turning out-of-touch old people who refuse to get with the changing times into a laughing stock, with said discussion being presented so ordinarily in contrast to the overblown melodrama in the background. I don't think De Palma has much hate in his heart, I think he's just a pervert who enjoys examining sexually risque subjects, and with Dressed to Kill it just so happened to be transfemme Michael Caine in a cunty blonde wig.
I think this is a near-masterpiece of a thriller that's bogged down by its half sincere/half insincere attempts at showcasing and analysing trans people. It's not the easiest thing to overlook as the whole films hinges on it, but seeing that the rest of the film is De Palma at his freakiest, it's well worth the watch anyway. It's a tricky one!
