Review of Dial M for Murder (1954) by Filipeneto — 12 Feb 2018

This film tells the story of Tony and Margot Wendice. She's married, but ends up having an affair with Mark Halliday, an American writer of detective novels. Therefore, and to avoid giving up her fortune, Tom decides to murder her but his plan goes wrong and Margo kills, in self-defense, the man who would kill her. Tom, to avoid the risk of being discovered, quickly creates a plan to take his wife to be sentenced to death.

Directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock (one of the most brilliant directors of all time), this film, like others he directed ("Rear Window," "Psycho", "The Rope" etc.), is based on a police investigation, and the dramatic tension of the plot resides in its development, putting the audience in expectation, waiting to see when the killer will be unmasked in their eagerness to try to save himself. That's a formula that Hitchcock used so often in his movies that it's difficult today to see this movie and don't feel that disappointment of those who expected something more, or something different. Nevertheless, this movie is good, is very well done and has a great cast (headed by Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings, respectively in the role of Margot, Tony and Mark Halliday) toasting the audience with great interpretations. The technical aspects (photography, soundtrack etc.) also seems faultless.

"Dial M for Murder" is a film that already has a few years, and probably we've already seen it on the small screen. Despite this, and despite not being one of the best films of this director and being totally unable to cause us astonishment or surprise, it's a nice movie to see, or review.