Review of M (1931) by Ethan H — 14 Feb 2011
A classic in Film Noir and one of the earliest examples of a mature subject matter (child murders) at that point in cinema. Peter Lorre plays the killer and two-thirds of the film deals with the police and thieves trying to catch him.
along with Murnau's Sunrise and Nosferatu and Weide's Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Lang's M was a major part of the German Expressionistic style which went against the Soviet montage style and was influential on Hitchcock among many others.
M deals with the morality of whether or not a killer is responsible for his actions if he is 'compelled' to do it and has no control of his actions. There are some great set-pieces but not as epic in scope as Metropolis.
This review of M (1931) was written by Ethan H on 14 Feb 2011.
M has generally received very positive reviews.
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