***

In this atomic adaptation of Mickey Spillane’s novel, directed by Robert Aldrich, the good manners of the 1950s are blown to smithereens. Ralph Meeker stars as snarling private dick Mike Hammer, whose decision one dark, lonely night to pick up a hitchhiking woman sends him down some terrifying byways. Brazen and bleak, Kiss Me Deadly is a film noir masterwork as well as an essential piece of cold war paranoia, and it features as nervy an ending as has ever been seen in American cinema.

***

Starting with the opening scene in the film, our "hero" gets in over his head when he picks up a hysterical woman (Cloris Leachman) on the highway who has escaped from a mental institution. The ensuing events lead him to a subversive group led by Dr. Soberin (Albert Dekker) who appear to be trafficking in stolen atomic material. It all builds to an apocalyptic finish at an isolated beach house where the contents of the black box are finally revealed.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

MGM

Region 1 - NTSC

1.64:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.78 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.64:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailer (2:12)
• Alternative Ending (1:03)

DVD Release Date: June 19th, 2001
Keep Case

Chapters 16

Chapters 21

ADDITION: Carlotta Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (December 2013): Another strong transfer from Carlotta - technically right up there with the Criterion and I can see no significant difference between the image quality of the Blu-rays. The French 1080P release may be minutely brighter - but that is all.

Ditto for the audio - a DTS-HD Master in original mono - I'd be hard-pressed to identify differences from the Criterion Blu-ray. They have included an optional French DUB and the French subtitles are optional via the 'subtitle' button on your remote.

Carlotta may not have all the extras of the Criterion but they do offer some valuable video pieces - Disintegration is 22:45 long interview from Allerton Films (In French - no subtitles) with a scholar discussing Kiss Me Deadly. The Many Faces of Mike Hammer runs almost 1/2 hour and is in English from Robert Fischer's 'Fiction Factory'. Cult director Larry Cohen discusses Robert Aldrich’s KISS ME DEADLY (1955) and his own adaptation of a Mickey Spillane novel, I, THE JURY (1982). With great passion and verve, he also comments on Mike Hammer’s many other screen and television incarnations and even brings out his collection of Mike Hammer comic books. We get the brief Controversial Ending piece also found on the Criterion and a trailer.

This is a wonderful, French-friendly (and English-friendly) Blu-ray release for Region 'B' Blu-ray. Super a/v presentation and brilliant value. Recommedned!

***

ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - May 11': Certainly there is no need to compare to the non-anamorphic, boosted SD transfer that has more artefacts and a cropped frame. The Criterion 1080P image shows some occasionally impressive detail, sublime contrast and thick grain that mark it as a very film-like presentation. It is certainly not glossy and the image, while never looking pristine, brings back a wonderfully textured look to Kiss Me Deadly. Aside from a few scratches under the surface there is no damage to speak of and aside from some minor fluctuation the gritty presentation is consistent and should be very pleasing to Noir fans.

Criterion are faithful to the flat mono audio with a linear PCM track at 1152 kbps. Any scattered audio is more to be blamed on the production or source than the transfer. It is imperfect but never hinders the presentation with  drop-outs or notable hiss. There are optional subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is, as always from Criterion, coded for region 'A'.

Criterion supply a great audio commentary by two of the best - film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini recorded in Los Angeles in March 2011. They cover information about all the film's participants as well as the characters. It is, as expected, very thorough and extremely entertaining for devotees of Kiss Me Deadly. There is a 6.5 minute new video tribute from director Alex Cox who discusses the backwards title and his deeply thought perceptions on the film and its meanings. There are about 10-minutes of excerpts from The Long Haul of A. I. Bezzerides, a 2007 documentary on the Kiss Me Deadly screenwriter where Spillane, Bezzerides and writers Barry Gifford and George Pelecanos. This helps perpetuate the dark aura of the film's ideals. In 1998 Mickey Spillane agreed to participate in a documentary about his life and career, directed by mystery writer and filmmaker Max Allan Collins (atta boy Max! - author of the book The Road to Perdition). Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane's debuted at a noir festival in Courmayeur, Italy. This new condensed cut was prepared by Collins for this release and runs for about 40-minutes documenting the life and work of the author. Also included is a 7-minute video piece, narrated by writer-actor Don Bajema, where writer and Los Angeles film buff Jim Dawson discusses some of the locations in Kiss Me Deadly. For almost 3 decades more than a minute of footage was missing from the end of the film. How this happened remains a mystery but it resulted in a very different fate for the characters. Neither director Robert Aldrich nor anyone associated with the film's production or distribution intended for these crucial shots to be excised, and they were finally restored in 1997. It is presented under the title "Controversial altered ending" and runs only, truncated at only 22 seconds. There is a theatrical trailer and a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and a 1955 reprint by director Robert Aldrich.

This is like giving a tall, cool lemonade to a man dying of thirst. Noir fans have always placed this enigmatic gem very high in their top listings of the dark cinema stalwarts - for years and years. It's a film that carries its own unapologetic style and fans love to discuss its merits and messages. With the fabulous commentary and intriguing extras this is one for remembering at the end of the year Poll for best Blu-ray. The appeal i... undeniable. Absolutely recommended!

 - Gary Tooze

***

MGM

Region 1 - NTSC