Frank Morrison Spillane (/spɪˈleɪn/; March 9, 1918 – July 17, 2006), better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist called the "king of pulp fiction". His stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself in the 1965 film The Girl Hunters. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mickey Spillane, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 9, 1918
- July 17, 2006 (aged 88)
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Writer and actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are Mickey Spillane's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 4 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 4 · Dark 5
Grounded 3 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 5
Steady 3 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1
Casual 1 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 1
A split, not a type: Resolved 7 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet5
- Ambiguous4
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Mickey Spillane's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Mickey Spillane's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Mickey Spillane's Encore for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Mike Hammer, Private Eye(1997)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
Mommy's Day(1997)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Mommy(1995)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Mike Hammer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
More Than Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Murder Me, Murder You(1983)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
I, the Jury(1982)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Margin for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
The Delta Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Aslan Yürekli Kabadayı (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Girl Hunters(1963)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
My Gun Is Quick(1957)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Kiss Me Deadly(1955)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Ring of Fear(1954)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
The Long Wait(1954)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
I, the Jury(1953)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all filmsUntitled Mike Hammer Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 24 titles, 23 of them dated from 1953 to 2023.
Biggest box office
I, the Jury (1982)
Highest rated
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Most popular right now
Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Mickey Spillane's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 12 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Mickey Spillane work with?
People who share at least 2 of Mickey Spillane's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Victor Saville shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Victor SavilleShared titles: My Gun Is Quick (1957), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Long Wait (1954), I, the Jury (1953)See all 4 shared titles with Victor Saville
- Max Allan CollinsShared titles: Mommy's Day (1997), Mommy (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Max Allan Collins
Actors
- Stacy KeachShared titles: Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997), Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989), Murder Me, Murder You (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Stacy Keach
- Brinke StevensShared titles: Mommy's Day (1997), Mommy (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Brinke Stevens
- Kent WilliamsShared titles: Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997), Murder Me, Murder You (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Kent Williams
- Michael CornelisonShared titles: Mommy's Day (1997), Mommy (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Cornelison
Composers and cinematographers
- Phillip W. DingeldeinShared titles: Mommy's Day (1997), Mommy (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Phillip W. Dingeldein
- Richard LowryShared titles: Mommy's Day (1997), Mommy (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Lowry
Producers
- Jay BernsteinShared titles: Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997), Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989), Murder Me, Murder You (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Jay Bernstein
- Robert FellowsShared titles: The Girl Hunters (1963), Ring of Fear (1954)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Fellows