Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 21, 2025

Dressed to Kill may appropriately be like Brian de Palma's icon Alfred Hitchcock's best films in that even after you know any putative "secret", the film can still be fun (and terrifying) to watch. Dressed to Kill was certainly controversial in its day, and it may well be even more now considering certain dialectics in American culture revolving around trans people in particular. The film has had a number of prior releases on both 1080 and 4K UHD discs, and, like the film itself, those releases have often been controversial. Even the often vaunted Criterion had to bring out two different 1080 releases to address deficits in their first pressing (if I'm understanding what happened, it looks like they became aware of the problem and pushed back the release date, but some pre-orders may have nevertheless been fulfilled with the incorrect version). Those two rather weirdly simultaneously released versions (how bad does an initial transfer have to be to qualify for an instantaneous refresh?) actually came after an original 1080 release of Dressed to Kill by Metro Goldwyn Mayer, and then after the Criterion release, Kino Lorber jumped into the fray with Dressed to Kill 4K around three years ago, give or take. If the MGM release perhaps escaped huge amounts of umbrage due to it having come first (and relatively early in the 1080 format), the Kino Lorber 4K release has had its own share of reactions from fans, both positive and negative in varying degrees.

Those interested have several previous reviews to choose from to get salient plot information, lists of supplements and reactions to technical presentations.

Dressed to Kill Blu-ray review is Casey Broadwater's take on the 1080 release from Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

Dressed to Kill Blu-ray review is Svet Atanasov's take on Criterion's almost pre-jettisoned first 1080 release.

Dressed to Kill Blu-ray review is Svet's take on the second pressing from Criterion.

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray review is Svet's take on Kino Lorber's 4K release.

I will once again caution readers that "different reviewers means different opinions", and you will find variances above and also between those above and this review.

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This release does not include a 1080 Blu-ray, so these screenshots are taken directly from the 4K UHD disc and downscaled to 1080 and SDR. Color space in particular is therefore not accurate. Since this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Dressed to Kill is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the presentation:

Dressed to Kill is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with original mono audio and an alternate 5.1 mix. The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The 4K master was supplied by MGM via Park Circus.

Additional audio remastering was completed by Þorsteinn Gislason.

Svet gave top marks to Kino Lorber's release, and Arrow has confirmed this was based on the same master that Kino Lorber utilized, which might on its face automatically suggest a baseline similarity, though as can be seen in such recent Arrow 4K releases like A Fistful of Dollars 4K, Arrow can take a pre-existing master and basically reinvent it, often to the better. In this case, I wouldn't argue that color timing is especially different than the Kino Lorber release, based solely on screenshots (a risky proposition, I know). That's quite unlike the clear differences in color timing between the Kino Lorber Fistful and Arrow's version, though in parsing through our typically epic forum posts on the various releases, some fans do cite differences, if subtle, between this version and the now way old Criterion version, though I went back and checked my Criterion copy and frankly wouldn't say the overall presentations are hugely different. This release doesn't include a 1080 disc, and so I can't do a "side by side" (verbal) comparison between an included lower resolution SDR presentation, but I will say that while the palette is definitely vibrant and nicely suffused, HDR / Dolby Vision may offer a more subdued viewing experience here (this is also based on admittedly "unscientific" comparisons to Criterion's 1080 presentation). Grain can be very thick at times, and there are what almost look like some chroma anomalies in the museum sequence in particular, where what look like miniscule horizontal yellow lines kind of punctuate the grain field. That said, compression handles things quite well, even in the opening steamy (in more ways than one) scene in the shower.

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dressed to Kill features LPCM Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. For longtime fans aware of certain edits, slightly naughty language on the part of Nancy Allen's character late in the film is present on both tracks. The mono track is really nicely balanced and certainly provides a completely enjoyable listening experience, and obviously mimics what audiences heard in theaters back in the day, but I have to say I rather enjoy the at times pretty substantial opening up the surround track provides. While not a consistent whirlwind of activity, there are numerous examples of nice immersion throughout, as in the storm scene toward the end of the film. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

Commentary by Drusilla Adeline and Joshue Conkel




Commentary by Maitland McDonagh




Beyond Good and Evil (HD; 11:17) is a visual essay by BJ and Harmony Colangelo focusing on duality.




The Empathy of Dressed to Kill (HD; 9:28) is a visual essay by Jessica Crets looking at trans issues.




Strictly Business (HD; 17:28) is a 2022 interview with Nancy Allen.




Killer Frames (HD; 8:15) is a 2022 interview with associate producer and production manager Fred C. Caruso.




An Imitation of Life (HD; 14:17) is a 2022 interview with Keith Gordon.




Symphony of Fear (HD; 17:38) is an archival interview with producer George Litto.




Dressed in White (HD; 29:55) is an archival interview with Angie Dickinson.




Dressed in Purple (HD; 23:06) is an archival interview with Nancy Allen.




Lessons in Filmmaking (HD; 30:47) is an archival interview with Keith Gordon.




The Making of a Thriller (HD; 43:55) is an archival making of featurette.




Censorship Comparison (HD; 5:16) offers a side by side look at the R rated and broadcast television versions.




Slashing Dressed to Kill (HD; 9:51) looks at some of the trims made to avoid an X rating.




Photo Gallery (HD)




Trailer (HD; 2:12)

Arrow also provides another really nicely appointed insert booklet, with a number of interesting essays and stills. The sleeve is reversible and packaging features a slipcover.

Dressed to Kill 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's perhaps indicative of the variant responses Dressed to Kill received when it was first released that it ended up getting several Golden Raspberry nominations and was a finalist for both Best Picture and Best Director in that year's New York Film Critics Awards. There was quite a bit of buzz at the time that Angie Dickinson would be a shoo in for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, if only as a "career" nod, but that sadly didn't end up happening. The film probably can't help but continue to provoke strong reactions, but that is probably testament to its visceral proclivities. This Arrow 4K release offers secure technical merits and a really splendid array of appealing supplements, both old and new. Highly recommended.