Review of M (1931) by Shelly — 03 Mar 2010
Peter Lorre makes me immeasurably happy. I give this piece five stars solely because of his jaw-dropping work. Fritz Lang is a master, but there are times where the film lacks (needs a bit of editing or the sound editing is slightly substandard), but that's all by today's standards.
Anything before the '60s and you have to realize it was practically another world, the technology was so different. This film was the birth of the cinematic serial killer and the characterization is executed with more finesse than most serial killer pieces these days.
The way Lorre's character is written is somewhat lacking (there's no real exploration of him besides what he tells us). But Lorre himself brings so much intense pathos to the screen, the audience finds themselves watching with the same wide-eyed horror that Lorre himself displays so often.
The last 15 or so minutes of this film is really where it's at. Everything builds to a climax that is terrifying as we suddenly see it through the eyes of the persecuted.
This review of M (1931) was written by Shelly on 03 Mar 2010.
M has generally received very positive reviews.
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