Dressed to Kill

Perhaps a precursor to the crime/comedy films of Billy Wilder, Scorsese and the Coen brothers, 'Dressed to Kill' is a wonderful gem of a comedy dealing with the glorification of gangsters. We are introduced to two of the lead gangsters in a scene where they change into robbers' clothes, hold up a bank and nonchalantly change back into dress clothing during their getaway. The majority of the film then deals with Edmund Lowe's character attempting to lure Mary Astor's character into his circle of crime and own personal affections. His advances are comically deferred by Astor's dodges. Another nice comedy element in the film is the band of roughneck criminals, whom contrast with the suave Lowe.

I was lucky enough to see a great 35mm print accompanied by a live piano score. Afterwards, I was surprised to see the low vote count on IMDb and can only hope this underrated classic will someday be seen by a larger audience.