Review of M (1931) by Michael Y — 22 Jan 2011

One of the greatest filmmakers of all time: Fritz Lang, the man who gave the world one of the greatest Sci-Fi movie of all time: Metropolis, now gives us one of the greatest serial killer movies of all time: M.

Provoking as much thought as it's suspence, M takes place in Berlin where the whole society is on their feet in horror as a child murderer strikes again. This this social tragedy happening, everyone is trying to find the killer. The police, the citizens, and even the local mofia. But the killer could very well be anyone. M set an example for future pychological thrillers and views about crime and society as well. This isn't just about looking for a killer. M turnes out to be a movie that raises conflicts when dealing with morals and duties as human beings.

The best thing about this movie is the way it's made. Fritz Lang always seems to improve as a director with every movie, and he considers M to be his best work. This movie is Lang's first talkie movie, but Lang didn't just use sound for the sake of impressing audiences with how advanced technology has become. There's actually very little sound and absolutely no music in the whole movie, but what you do hear is used for the purpose of paranoia and suspence. The cinematography is incredable. The camera floats around the sets, spying on various characters and situations, leaving very little privacy in a world where everyone's lives are monitored. Fritz Lang uses so many creative and original shots. M is the first movie to have dialogue mixing and transitioning into sepperate scenes, notably when the two conversations between the criminals and the police seem to match perfectly. It's no wonder that this movie is so highly praised.

With not only masterful directing but an incredable preformance from Peter Lorre, M becomes an inspirational crime thriller in almost every aspect. And just like what Lang did for Metropolis, M serves not only as masterful filmmaking, but a philisophical story that will leave you thinking, not just about moral decisions, but how beyond-it's-time this movie truley is.