Review of Dial M for Murder (1954) by Brian R — 28 Apr 2010

Ray Milland excels as Tony Wendice, an ex-tennis player who hits on the brilliant idea of getting a louche college acquaintance to bump off his unfaithful wife Margot, played by Grace Kelly. Unfortunately it all goes Pete Tong and Margot stabs her attacker, ending up on a charge of murder.

Even though Milland's character is an absolute bounder, you can't help but warm to him, and when I watch this film a little bit of me always hopes he'll get way with it, although it would be incomprehensible to most men that anyone would want to kill Grace Kelly.

When a stage play is committed to film, as is essentially the case here (although The Master has added some of his trademark flourishes), it is important that all of the preformances are spot on, and the supporting cast here do a great job: Robert Cummings as the writer of detective fiction and rival for Margot's affections, who almost works out the plan as Tony conceived it; and John Williams as Chief Inspector Hubbard who fits together the final pieces of the puzzle - he really is splendid, almost like an early English prototype for Columbo.

It is fitting that the final shot of the film should be of him titivating his moustache with the stem of his pipe. This is not Hitch's finest hour - the way in which Margot's trial and sentencing is condensed is a touch melodramatic if effective - but it is still a very fine film indeed.