grim_tales

Is this film wotth checking out? I have the excellent Dressed To Kill (1980) on DVD, and I've just seen Blow Out which was very good as well. Is Body Double similar in style/content?

In "Blow Out" De Palma uses the split-screen (where the screen is divided into two) a couple of times in the movie.

I liked how . Nancy Allen was annoying though.

Groucho

Body Double is probably my favorite DePalma movie. Like Dressed to Kill, it's full of Hitchcock homages. In this case, it borrows much from Vertigo.

Good performances all around, even from Melanie Griffith (!). The lead is a bit distracting because he looks exactly like Bill Mahar.

I like Blow Out as well. This one has a similar "regular guy involved in big plot" feel, but with more style and polish.

Johnny Zhivago

^ And a bit from Rear Window as well.

I own two DePalma movies... Body Double and Carlito's Way. So, yes... I think it's worth checking out.

dvduser6

Total guilty pleasure. "Blow Out" ws my first R-rated theatrical experience, so I've always had a soft spot for De Palma. This and "DTK" are my favorite films of his from the 80's. Definitely worth a look.

Eplicon

One thing I remember when the film came out was the outcry from feminists groups about the portrayal of women (sex objects/victims of violence).

This was probably the last time Melanie Griffith was sexy, but I thought it was a pretty good thriller. There is a "gimmick" in the plot concerning the Craig Wasson character. Once you figure that out, the rest of the movie makes more sense. Or perhaps not.

grim_tales

I hear there's a SE of Body Double in R1, so may pick that up soon.

Re: Blow Out -

DoubleDownAgain

Good flick, if you like DePalma's other films you'll like Body Double.

rennervision

Guess I'm in the minority. I don't hate it. In fact, I would like to love it. But I'm mostly disappointed with the thought that it could have been better. It's hard for me to recommend a thriller with such great potential containing such huge gaping plotholes.

tommyp007

Great flick. Also great use of the song "Relax" in it as well. And, as Groucho said, the dude is a dead ringer for Bill Maher.

eXcentris

De Palma is a great technical director but he's essentially a "shooter". Without a bulletproof script and top-notch actors he'll put out good but flawed films. Body Double is one of them. The lead actor is mediocre, as someone else stated, gaping plotholes galore, and some scenes are bordering on ridiculous (the kissing scene being one). On the other hand, the mise-en-scene of a couple of scenes is just brilliant, like the shopping center scene (when he follows the girl), and the scene where he's on the beach watching the appartment building.

Josh Z

Doesn't that describe most of Brian DePalma's movies?

BuckNaked2k

Or in the case of Black Dahlia, a bad AND flawed film.

Damone

This was a remake of the much better film noir masterpiece 'Double Indemnity', imho. I'd say watch 'Double Indemnity' first

marty888

Another favorable report for this one. But maybe I'm not the one to ask - I even liked Femme Fatale.

Geofferson

Body Double is the last good DePalma film that DePalma directed (if that makes any sense). Not as good as Dressed to Kill (his best, IMO), but well worth checking out.

H8nXTC

I loved this movie when I was younger, but watched it recently and was very disappointed. Wasn't as good as I remembered.

Groucho

You're confusing this with Body Heat.

DieselsDen

At the very least, BODY DOUBLE is entertaining, enjoyable trash, and if you're a fan of low budget horror films or...um..."erotica"...then the storyline should be all the more fascinating. Deborah Shelton is gorgeous, and Melanie Griffith is pretty darn good in her role. I used to work in a movie theatre when it was first released, and it bombed pretty badly. Even the very few female audience members walked out after a particularly gratuitous and Freudian murder scene.

Still, I liked it and thought it was much, much better than DePalma's other films like FEMME FATALE (save for the opening 10 minutes) and that terrible John Lithgow flick whose title I forget.

movielib

I think Melanie Griffith was excellent in Something Wild and Working Girl. Unfortunately, it's been downhill since then.

Regarding the film, I'm a big fan.

JasonTHX

A pretty good, fun De Palma movie. More Like Snake Eyes then anything he's done after. It definitly goes some pretty far out places. Has some really great scenes, and offers something for everyone (well, not Everyone ) If you love violence it has a scene that's a real doozy. Still haven't seen anything quite like it. Those of you who have seen know what I'm talking about. For the technical film freaks There is that incredible mall sequence, where it's just minimal dialogue, music and great direction and camerawork. A great De Palma-esque sequence. and If you like sex, it has a bit of that too. Oh yeah, it has Melanie Griffith in a skin tight leather body-suit. 1984 Melanie Griffith, not 2004 Melanie Griffith. Trust me, she'll leave you wide-eyed. If you can get past the Frankie Goes To Hollywood Music Vid part, it's a pretty stylish, slick, entertaining movie.

And of course it also has the famous Dogs in the Reservoir scene which some people say Tarantino got the Idea to name his debut Reservoir Dogs, but QT has said that's not true, but considering he is a big De Palma freak, who knows.

Stamina

If you liked both Dressed to Kill & Blow Out, Body Double is definately worth checking out. Sure it's got bits & pieces of other filmst & it probably won't take to long to figure it out, but it's very enjoyable IMO.