Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

When the woman who has hitched a ride with him is murdered, detective Mike Hammer, played by Ralph Meeker, decides to investigate with the help of his girlfriend/secretary Maxine Cooper. The pair soon find themselves mixed in a conspiracy involving top secret governmental experiments. I enjoy the settings, especially Hammer’s swinging bachelor pad and various Los Angeles locales such as Angels Flight. I always like a good MacGuffin, here in the form of a hot suitcase that leads to an explosive ending. The film is notable for featuring the debut of an unrecognizable to me Cloris Leachman. What I didn’t like in the film was the entire character of Hammer. I’ve never read any of the Mickey Spillane books, but the detective here is a hyper-masculine wreck who treats women and friends like easily discarded trash.