Review of Dial M for Murder (1954) by Nathan C — 29 Oct 2011

Hitchcock manages to do the impossible - take an intriguing script, and make a dull and pretentious film out of it. Well, impossible for him.

You know the plot very well. No matter if you've seen this or "A Perfect Murder". A rich guy suspects his wife is cheating on him. He hires an old pal to murder her so that he can step in and get the money. The plan is botched, and the police investigate.

This has many great factors. Single sets, awesome camera angles demonstrating depth (who knew it was in 3D?), Grace Kelly being talented, and all the trademarks of Hitch are there in good form.

However, it ends up being boring because it's all talk and no fun. Isn't the rule of filmmaking "show, don't tell"? Um... yeah, very dull. Breaking the rules sometimes makes things worse for everyone, as well as causes one's attention to taper off. Not very many thrills or suspense here.

Overall, what sounded like an awesome movie (cause it's Hitchcock) is not only disappointing, but very frustrating. How does it even add up?