Jumping on the bandwagon of an escalating post-WWII nuclear paranoia, Robert Aldrich’s hard-hitting Film-Noir KISS ME DEADLY (his fifth feature film) sets its cock-and-bull backbone in Mickey Spillane’s titular pulp novel, but substitutes its McGuffin with a cockamamie Pandora’s box allegory that is only appended for its sheer shocking value.
A hardboiled L.A. shamus Mike Hammer (Meeker), reluctantly falls in with a hitchhiker Christina Bailey (a radiant Leachman in her screen debut, and we do miss her illuminated presence after her character’s fate is appallingly sealed), who only wears a trench coat after fleeing from a mental institution in the dead of night, before being caught up with her pursuers, she tells Mike to “remember me” if she doesn’t make it alive, and this is exactly what happens. After Mike miraculously survives the man-made accident which ostensibly kills Christina (the villains have an unconscious Mike at their mercies, yet, they inexplicably spare him for no other reason but what the story requires), he knuckles down to bird-dog the mystery behind, routinely sieving through a concatenation of names, often from the mouth of his devout and world-savvy assistant-cum-lover Velda (Cooper), tritely hazarding the lives of those who are passively enmeshed in his investigation, it is mildly surprising that his buddy, the Greek immigrant Nick (vexingly played by Nick Dennis in hamming up his va-va-voom catchphrase) doesn’t blow himself up earlier but only succumbs to a facile budging of a jack. But the major breakthrough hinges on deciphering Christina’s cryptic last words (which might just as well be rephrased as “examine me” by screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides, if she doesn’t really intend to muddy the waters when her life is hanging by a thread), and “vestige” is the operative word.
For one thing, the story-line barely makes any sense, and Bezzerides has no volition to paper over its porous loose ends and preposterous turn of events, for instance, we have no inkling of the antagonists’ agenda with the box (saving an urbanely intimidating Paul Stewart from going sinister all the way), what is the involvement of Lt. Pat Murphy (Addy), and why on earth the only person who knows its whereabout is so impetuously dispatched? While Mike’s myth-divulging takes an improbably simplified route name after name, what he faces mostly is a cesspool of human scums that truly merits his slapping-happy second-nature (in turn echoes his own short-fused cruelty), not to mention the film’s sweeping derogative treatment of its female characters, everyone mechanically falls under the spell of Mr. Meeker’s irresistibly laconic and impassive macho posturing, trying to seal a kiss with him at short notice, Aldrich really overreaches himself in beating the drum for this fusty and pernicious masculinity.
That said, as a grubby noir tall-tale, its superficial production value speaks for itself by allowing Mike perambulating L.A.’s nocturnal streets and treacherous corners where lies and danger fester under DP Ernest Laszlo’s immaculate lens, and Aldrich unflinchingly ratchets up its cynicism until the final radioactive perdition, remotely elicits a sense of Sci-Fi proportion that chimes with its vertically rolling opening credits, which would be normalized by the STAR WARS juggernauts two decades later.
referential entries: Aldrich’s WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962, 8.2/10), HUSH….HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964, 7.8/10).
《死吻》的经典一部分来源于从头至尾的压力,另一部分则源于麦克本身的形象的处理。一个俊朗的私家侦探却屡屡使用卑劣的手法来获得生意,麦克的行径算不上光明磊落,但他却有一个光明磊落的心。这是一种矛盾。麦克在业务上可以用卑劣的手段来为自己牟利,然而现实中如果处理自己的事情的时候,麦克显示出来的却是一种冷峻,他可以判断形势,虽然得不到一个确切的答案,但却能根据形势做出自己应有的冷静判断。麦克可以把握一部分真相与局面,这是麦克的优点,然而这也是知名的缺陷。所有麦克有关联的异性都被看做是没头脑的钟情于麦克俊朗的外表,然而他们却没有什么烦恼和担忧,麦克的情人再告诉给他一些异样的事情的时候,心中怀有的态度也是暧昧的,仿佛这样的消息可以为自己争宠。而麦克却不这么认为。他的担心和忧郁不断地让他在自己深陷的这件事情中更加的压抑。一方面他知道压力的源泉,另一方面却无法彻底的摆脱,麦克知道眼前的压力,但却无法预测未知的恐惧。这是本片一个重要的核心。
目前唯一一部——我还没看过《精神病患者》——能够与威尔斯《历劫佳人》(重剪版)相提并论的noir。它属于那种电影:其中90%内容诡异地超前于时代大约二十年,而剩下的10%,更令人不安地,提醒我们这仍然是1955。隧道、车灯和低语,旅馆窗外不断拍动的风,从架空的地基看出去的昏黑的海:也许是一种林奇的诗意,但全都法国式地完美。不断出现的名字和人物加深了某种超现实;或许noires在寻求完美时终归要走向超现实。最主要的一次解谜很假,但反而使一切更动人了……看过戈达尔《影像之书》的人,这时会认出电影的尾声,仿佛从最初看到那个画面到这时都只是一场他刚刚从中醒来的梦。 A
核威胁这个设计现在去看更像是黑色幽默了。
4.2. 开始看着是部hardboiled detective story,然而逐渐变得有些不同直至最后发展为对这种传统的解构。所谓硬派更多是贪婪自私与冷酷无情。正如影片所探寻的Holy Grail最后turns out to be a Pandora's Box。Femme Fatale的设定有新意。一些桥段也拍得不错。
三星半
中規中矩的黑色電影,以當時冷戰大環境為背景,搭配魔幻主義來詮釋最後的懸念,還算是有新意。只是這樣的超自然現象來的莫名其妙,導演也始終沒有解釋這個“潘多拉”盒子哪來的,又能帶來什麽樣的陰謀陽謀,作為觀眾也只能瞎猜。
本片的前半段嚴格地按照黑色電影的結構,比如開頭的神秘女郎,對於“麥格芬”的營造也很成功。只是相似的情節看過太多,節奏略帶沉悶,結局的“潘多拉魔盒”一段cult味十足,不僅終結了傳統的黑色電影套路,更將通俗偵探文學昇華成末世警示錄,可謂相當大膽,導演也借這段諷刺了人類的貪婪和慾望,更加表達了戰後人們對“核”世界的恐懼不安。
跑到偌大的上海影城1厅,就看了个结尾,不好说
画面整体暗黑,拍摄视角低。空间状态和人物身体变得难辨。浓郁的黑好像只是为了最后强光的爆发,照亮整个世界。用抽屉夹住手的施暴行为,以及修理厂车子下降压死的谋杀,都是将缝隙“关闭”的过程,和结果打开箱子的自我毁灭形成呼应。另外,女主角设定方面此片很是暧昧。
2022年12月9日,不推荐观赏。2824人在豆瓣标记看过,2156人评分。//电影中出现的人名太多,出场的人物每个人时间少,造成的结果是一头雾水:这个侦探如何得到线索去找谁?为什么找那个谁?那个谁是谁?!但是这种黑白侦探悬疑电影的魅力足以吸引人往下看。//有几个片段毫无意义的拖拉时长。比如主角被带到海边,明明打不过,前面不打在这里导演安排一段无意义打斗逃跑戏,毫无意义。还有快结束时候大反派滴里嘟噜啰啰嗦嗦意义含混警告反派女不要开箱,这一段也是不合逻辑不合情理的无意义延长时间。//以上感慨也许是因为这部电影字幕也比较差劲,经常有让人晕的译文导致的。
2011-6-11 13:30:00上海影城1号厅 核危机的寓意?最后死亡幻灭挺搞笑的~旁边两对小青年一直在玩愤怒的小鸟和切水果
开头很惊艳,可惜后面没能完成一个引人入胜的故事,落跑的女孩死了以后,剧情就变得沉闷令人昏昏欲睡,尤其结尾更加失控,惊悚悬疑片莫名其妙就变成了科幻片。虽说勇于突破常规思维值得尊敬,但在没什么铺垫的情况下来这么一个结局,编剧真是置故事逻辑于不顾啊。
又一部对《双峰》影响极大的作品,即便在黑色电影里也是别开生面的视听盛宴,从各色人物到各种神展开都极有趣,可谓是老片经典里的娱乐大作了。PS: 威胁一个人最好的方法——折断他的限量版黑胶。【2017.9.2 @Metrograph】
【YVR-theque】才疏学浅,没看出来如何在风格形式上对法国新浪潮产生了影响,但广角推轨镜头和景深构图的表现放在当时可谓新潮,明显的看出如何影响妖夜慌踪,蓝丝绒等片。开头字幕倒放很有意思(有没有人知道是不是影响了星战呢?),表现主题(不是很确定,但感觉是对毁灭以及核武器的恐惧?)和黑色电影的传统主题不是很搭,但还蛮有意思的
开篇惊艳 对比之后看的马耳他 私家侦探之类的故事模式大都雷同啊- -
以潘德拉的魔盒为中心的一个寓言剧。结尾魔盒打开造成的效果和隐喻的企图心都使它明显地不同于一般的犯罪片。很可惜的是每场戏都很草率,而且它们之间缺乏那种严密的逻辑连贯性。可能这样做会增强故事的荒诞气质?但黑色电影讲的应该是“现实”的荒诞,而非故事结构的。
开头的剧情很有冲击力,但是后来的编剧就比较差劲了,无法和希区柯克的影片相比
开头很惊人,可是越往后……
罗伯特·奥尔德里奇导演的黑色电影,但这部黑色电影和传统的黑片不太一样,属于异类,因为片子最后引入了科幻,甚至是魔幻的元素,虽然让观众看到了魔盒的破坏力,但又没给观众解释明白,很有B级CULT片的风范。前面则着重于制造悬念,不得不说影片前半段营造了相当出色的悬疑效果。
开头满好的,越后来越弱越没看头了,最后那个盒子打开窘死我了。。是什么阿。时光机么
被忽视被低估经典。好莱坞时代黑色电影的终结之作,开头漆黑高速公路奠定了悲观虚无的冲击力。抛出一系列麦格芬与一系列转折并以末日收尾。绝非荒诞无厘头结尾,全片通过当时流行的硬派悬疑情节剧模式酝酿这种五十年代美国人对核武的不安情绪。片尾不过是它的爆发。《缺席的人》有本片的影子
第一次在影院看黑色电影,纪念意义远高于影片本身。大银幕“bigger than life”的震撼是用电视无法体会的,因此结尾的尖叫也带给我很深的印象。与众不同的几个有趣的角色。