Review of Dial M for Murder (1981) by Chris L — 12 Aug 2012

Even if it is one of Hitchcock's lesser films, it is still Hitchcock, which basically guarantees an amazing film. The plot concerns a man who blackmails an associate into murdering his unfaithful wife.

I won't go any further, because there are obviously enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Since it is adapted from a stage play, the film takes place almost entirely in one room, much like Hitchcock's "Rear Window," which he would make later that same year.

Hitchcock does not get to fully exercise his usual talent for visual effectiveness, but the film is every bit as suspenseful as one might hope. What's great about this mystery is that it plays out so differently from so many others in the genre: while in most cases the audience is trying to piece together what is happening, in this film, the audience is clued in to absolutely everything that is going on, with the suspense being built by watching the other characters try to unravel Tom Wendice's treachery.

Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings do well enough in their roles, but Ray Milland is truly the star as the vengeful husband, carefully assembling the pieces for the perfect crime.