Dressed to Kill is a 2021 American erotic thriller film and remake of Brian De Palma's 1980 film of the same name, directed by David Fincher and starring Michael Fassbender, Haley Bennett, Alex Wolff, and Naomi Watts. The film is similar to the source material, which focuses on the murder of a depressed and miserable housewife and the investigating led by a young fille de joie, the woman's son, and her former psychiatrist. The score was composed by Marco Beltrami.
Plot Summary []
A depressed and miserable homemaker named Kate Miller attends a session with her psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Elliott. She makes a sexual advance towards him, which he rejects. This leads her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she pursues a handsome stranger through the building. When he seems uninterested in her, she follows him out to a taxi, where he pulls her into the vehicle and kisses her. The two go to his apartment, where they have sex.
Some time later, Kate wakes up in the man's apartment. She attempts to leave him a note while he is sleeping, but unintentionally discovers a document revealing he has an STD. Appalled, Kate quickly exits the apartment and makes her way to the elevator. Kate soon remembers she had left her wedding ring on the nightstand and goes back to reclaim it. Kate leaves again and climbs in the elevator. As the doors to another floor slide open, Kate is met by the image of a statuesque blonde woman in sunglasses, who attacks her with a straight razor.
Another woman, Liz Blake, who works as a high paid fille de joie, is greeted by a dying Kate in the elevator; Liz reaches out to her, but suddenly sees the woman standing in the elevator, preparing to attack her as well and recoils. Liz soon discovers she is the next target for Kate's murderer, as well as the primary suspect.
Dr. Elliott soon discovers a chilling voicemail on his answering machine from a person named Bobbi, a transsexual and former patient of Elliott's. Bobbi insults Elliott, due to halting their sessions together and refusing to sign the neccessary documents for a MTF sex change operation. Elliott speaks with Bobbi's new psychiatrist, Dr. Long, who he attempts to convince him that Bobbi is mentally unstable and poses a threat to those around her.
Liz is interviewed by Detective Mathews, who is skeptical of her story due to his sexist nature, as well as her job as a prostitute. This leads Liz to team up with Kate's young son, Peter, who wants to avenge Kate's murder. Peter is revealed to be a teen genius and aspiring progenitor. He crafts numerous video cameras and listening mechanisms to keep up with the patients going in and out of Elliott's office. They are able to identify Bobbi on a video recording; however, Bobbi begins stalking Liz. She ambushes her on a New York subway, but is able to fight her off using Mace.
Eventually, Liz and Peter resolve to sneak into Elliott's office and read his files to figure out Bobbi's true identity. Liz attempts to seduce Elliott, before he leaves, allowing her to search through his patient log. Peter, who is watching everything through a window, is suddenly ambushed by a blonde woman. Liz is suddenly attacked by Bobbi, who slashes her shoulder. She strikes her with a paperweight, before someone shoots Bobbi through the window, barely missing Liz. Bobbi is brought to her knees by the gunfire, resulting in her wig falling off. She is revealed to be Dr. Elliott.
The woman who shot Elliott is revealed to be an undercover police officer, working with Mathews who had been assigned to tail Liz. Elliott is subsequently hospitalized in a mental institution. Dr. Long explains that Elliott's supression of his transexualism, resulting in him developing a violent alternate female persona. Whenever Elliott felt sexually attracted to a woman, the violent female persona would emerge and kill.
Peter and Liz are in her apartment, when she hears something in her bathroom. She pushes back the shower curtain, revealing Elliott dressed as Bobbi, who slashes her throat with a straight razor. Liz awakens on the couch, with Peter sleeping in the recliner adjacent to her, revealing it was only a nightmare.
Cast []
- Michael Fassbender as Dr. Robert Elliott
- Haley Bennett as Elizabeth Blake
- Alex Wolff as Peter Miller
- Naomi Watts as Kate Miller
- Anthony Edwards as Detective Mathews