Review of M (1931) by Mikael A — 06 Apr 2010

Fritz Lang's M is certainly the father of all noir, thriller, man-hunt, mystery, polar films, and it's a bit of all of those at once, with the rare ability to also be a courtroom drama. The film is perfectly done especially when you consider that it was made 80 years ago, it still stands up to today's standards and I'm not fooling you when I say it might actually be better than today's thrillers, as it's often been imitated but rarely matched. It truly deserves its status as a classic...It's well written and the story makes the movie exciting, entertaining and at times even scary to watch, with a social, human commentary that brings it to a fascinating and powerful level. The B&W photography takes full advantage of shades, darkness and brilliant lightning techniques, and the editing as well as use of sound match the mastery of the other aspects.

Peter Lorre (better known to the American eye for his roles in Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon and Hitchcock's The Wrong Man among others) gives the performance of a lifetime, without a doubt his best, as the pathetic child murderer Hans Becket, a man unable to control his instincts who ends up being caught between the police and the city's criminals. His pre-murder whistle of an Edvard Grieg theme has become timeless...M for Masterpiece ladies and gentlemen, this film shouldn't and never will be forgotten.