Review of M (1931) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015

**110 minute version**.

83 years young, and it still has contemporary levels of suspense, audacity and relevance, M is an incredibly influential psycho-thriller that established conventions still used by serial killer movies as it intercuts the murderer's pathetic life with the investigation of his outrages. At once a creepy character study of a psychopathic child murderer and a riveting portrait of a community doused in fear, Lang deploys an arsenal of filmmaking fireworks in league with a progressive attitude towards his subject that is complex and still relevant. While Lorre's portrayal provides a horribly sympathetic focus for the film, Lang shows how his crimes affect an entire city. Lang, who two years later would flee Germany after being "summoned" by Dr. Goebbles, prophetically illustrates the danger of a police force with too much power, as M attacks revenge at a moral and legal level, and leaves you with a haunting conclusion.