Year: 1987
Runtime: 88 mins
Language: English
Director: Katt Shea
Detective Sheehan discovers a serial killer targeting strippers in Los Angeles. To stop him, she agrees to become the bait, allowing her partner to have her pose as a dancer and lure the murderer. Using her own body as the only weapon, Sheehan infiltrates the underground club scene, confronting the maniac before he strikes again.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Stripped to Kill (1987), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
On the gritty streets of Skid Row in Los Angeles, Cody, a police officer operating undercover, and Sergeant Heineman bear witness to a brutal act: a stripper named Angel is hurled from a bridge and set on fire. Their investigation pushes Cody to go deeper undercover, taking a post as a dancer at Rock Bottom, the club where the murdered woman worked. Despite not being a natural dancer, she wins the amateur night, and the club’s owner, Ray, offers her a job and a place in the lineup.
Inside Rock Bottom, Cody gradually earns the trust of the other dancers, forming bonds amid the rough atmosphere. Among them is Cinnamon, who has been let go by Ray due to an addiction to pills. The camaraderie is tight, but danger looms, and Cinnamon is eventually strangled to death by the killer with a metal cord, leaving the club shaken and the investigation with more questions than answers.
When Cody’s undercover role is discovered by her superiors, they order her to quit dancing, a demand she defies. This defiance strains the relationship with Heineman, who harbors romantic feelings for her and becomes torn between professional duties and personal loyalties. The tension between them escalates into a night of intimacy, followed by a morning after filled with arguments and unresolved conflicts that complicate the pursuit of the killer.
Parallel to the internal friction, Heineman pursues a set of suspects, including Roxanne, a dancer who happened to be Angel’s lover. He also suspects Pocket, a young man who seems perpetually present at the club. A confrontation reveals a harsher reality: Pocket is missing a hand and genitals from a war injury, deepening the mystery surrounding the killer’s identity.
Cody’s visit to Roxanne leads her to encounter Roxanne’s younger brother, Eric. While searching the apartment, she discovers a neighbor’s corpse. The twists unfold as Roxanne is revealed to be Eric, dressed in drag, having performed as his dead sister on stage with fake latex breasts. Eric explains that he killed Roxanne because he feared she would leave him for Angel. Heineman arrives during the confrontation, but Eric shoots him, forcing Cody to flee into a tense, escalating chase.
The pursuit drives them back to Rock Bottom, where Eric begins an indiscriminate shooting rampage. Cody douses Eric with gasoline, and when he tries to shoot her, he accidentally sets himself on fire. Heineman arrives, having survived the earlier gunshots thanks to a bulletproof vest. Cody, who realizes she’s been shot in the leg, clamps down on the fear and embraces Heineman, sharing a moment of relief as the immediate danger subsides.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:38
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Law enforcement agents risking everything by infiltrating dangerous criminal circles.If you enjoyed the high-stakes undercover operation in Stripped to Kill, explore more movies like it. This list features similar crime thrillers and police procedurals where an officer goes deep undercover, facing constant danger and moral conflict in the gritty underworld they infiltrate.
The narrative follows an agent's descent into a criminal world, often requiring them to adopt a new persona. The story is driven by the precarious balance of gathering intelligence while avoiding detection, leading to intense confrontations and a climactic resolution where their true identity is revealed.
These films are grouped by their shared premise of a high-risk undercover mission, creating a consistent mood of suspense and danger. They explore themes of identity, deception, and survival, often set against a dark, atmospheric backdrop of urban crime.
A tense cat-and-mouse game between detectives and a methodical, elusive murderer.Fans of the serial killer investigation in Stripped to Kill will find more gripping movies like it here. This collection features similar suspenseful crime stories and murder mysteries about police hunting a methodical killer, filled with procedural detail, rising dread, and a tense climax.
The narrative pattern involves a series of connected murders that reveal a specific modus operandi. The investigation is a race against time as the killer continues to strike, pushing the protagonists to their limits. The story builds towards a final, dangerous confrontation with the murderer.
These movies share a core plot structure of a serial killer investigation, generating suspense through the killer's elusiveness and the grim nature of the crimes. They deliver a heavy emotional weight and a consistently tense, dark tone focused on the psychology of both the hunter and the hunted.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Stripped to Kill in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Stripped to Kill is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Stripped to Kill with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
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