Review of M (1931) by Max P — 03 Aug 2009

Thrilling and controversial even today. Fritz Lang in a masterful display of genius, delves into the mind of a serial killer and elicits sympathy from the audience despite the cruelty of the deed. Its is unfathomable how something like this was conceived in the 1930's.

I cannot stress enough the magnificence of Peter Lorre in his role.

He portrayed the character with such excellence I was left in awe of his abilities as an actor. Though much maligned for his physical features, this brought more fascination to the antagonist as he just commands attention in every scene and masterfully exudes the aura of someone that every body loves to hate. You just want the motherfucker got coz NOBODY FUCKS WITH THE CHILDREN! Nil nisi bonum, but he is one of the most brilliant gifts in a not so aesthetic wrapper.

The movie does have a few minor shooting/editing blunders (visible camera shadows, faulty transitions, etc) and the score to me bordered more on deficient than beneficent. There were also questionable parts in the plot. The sound wasn't all that great as well but this is a very old film. Despite that, this film pioneered several concepts in filming. A definite must-see for movie enthusiasts!