On a lonely stretch of road Mickey Spillane's famous private detective Mike Hammer picks up a dazed and confused Cloris Leachman in her big screen debut, trying to thumb a ride. He picks her up, but shortly afterward they're both attacked and he's left unconscious and she's dead.
Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer wants to find out why of course, a reaction similar to the one Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe had in Murder My Sweet when something exactly like this occurred. But Powell didn't have not only the local police, but the FBI snooping around in this apparent street crime.
Meeker's motives are not noble, he smells a big pay day. And while he's honest, he's not squeamish in the slightest about how he gets information. He runs into a variety of movie bad guys like Paul Richards, Strother Martin, Jack Lambert, Paul Stewart, and Albert Dekker.
Some are helpful, some are not. The bodies start to pile up and what this is all about is a McGuffin to end all McGuffins. Let's just say the police in the person of Wesley Addy and the FBI had very good reason to tell Meeker to butt out. In fact his very entrance into the case causes a lot of fatalities.
This turned out to be Ralph Meeker's career role. Perhaps had Meeker come along earlier or had gotten better breaks he could have had a great career in noir type films. As it was he became a respected character actor. Another performance you'll like is that of Nick Dennis who's a garage mechanic and part time leg man for Hammer.
Juano Hernandez has an interesting part as well. He's a fight manager and not above taking a dishonest dollar if he can turn one. He's a reliable tipster, but the well runs dry about this case when Meeker questions him.
But the performance really to watch is that of Gaby Rodgers who is a femme fatale to beat all. She makes Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon and Claire Trevor in Murder My Sweet look like Girl Scouts. Watch the ending, it's so incredibly surreal it will stay with you forever.
Can't tell you what the McGuffin is, it will give it all away. But it will be worth your while to see Kiss Me Deadly to find out.
Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer wants to find out why of course, a reaction similar to the one Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe had in Murder My Sweet when something exactly like this occurred. But Powell didn't have not only the local police, but the FBI snooping around in this apparent street crime.
Meeker's motives are not noble, he smells a big pay day. And while he's honest, he's not squeamish in the slightest about how he gets information. He runs into a variety of movie bad guys like Paul Richards, Strother Martin, Jack Lambert, Paul Stewart, and Albert Dekker.
Some are helpful, some are not. The bodies start to pile up and what this is all about is a McGuffin to end all McGuffins. Let's just say the police in the person of Wesley Addy and the FBI had very good reason to tell Meeker to butt out. In fact his very entrance into the case causes a lot of fatalities.
This turned out to be Ralph Meeker's career role. Perhaps had Meeker come along earlier or had gotten better breaks he could have had a great career in noir type films. As it was he became a respected character actor. Another performance you'll like is that of Nick Dennis who's a garage mechanic and part time leg man for Hammer.
Juano Hernandez has an interesting part as well. He's a fight manager and not above taking a dishonest dollar if he can turn one. He's a reliable tipster, but the well runs dry about this case when Meeker questions him.
But the performance really to watch is that of Gaby Rodgers who is a femme fatale to beat all. She makes Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon and Claire Trevor in Murder My Sweet look like Girl Scouts. Watch the ending, it's so incredibly surreal it will stay with you forever.
Can't tell you what the McGuffin is, it will give it all away. But it will be worth your while to see Kiss Me Deadly to find out.