Review of M (1931) by Alex V — 16 Dec 2008

Everybody loves crime movies. There's some sort of visceral thrill that one gets from seeing a case open with incidents of violence and depravity, and close neatly by the end. That's the only way to explain why shows like CSI and Law and Order are so popular these days. We get sick pleasure from the shocking acts, and a feeling of resolution after being assured that the criminals responsible are put behind bars. But what happens if it doesn't end that way? What happens if we never know the fate of the antagonist?

M is a very strange and original movie in this aspect, especially given the fact that it was made in 1931. At first, it appears to be a sort of early precursor to all the CSIs and Law and Orders of today, following an ongoing investigation/manhunt to capture a child murderer loose in the city. That's definitely one of the things that stands out the most: the dual storylines of the law enforcement and the criminal underworld, trying to track down the same man. That's when one believes that this is a truly despicable guy: when even the outlaws want him dead. So far, so good: it contains much originality and character for a genre that has been much-copied throughout the years. Things take an interesting turn, however, towards the last ten minutes. The culprit is captured, and it appears as though everything is about to be neatly resolved. But it doesn't. I won't go into specifics, but the moral dilemmas touched onscreen allow the film to rise above and beyond most efforts of the same genre. It transcends the "case open/case closed" cliches, and becomes what can be now confirmed as a true classic film.