M

M(1931)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke, Gustaf Grundgens, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut

From: Nero-Film A.G.

I'll mention right away that this is a must-see movie for any serious lover of cinema. I explain why (although not as eloquently as others have, admittedly) in my Letterboxd review below:

As I saw a pretty terrible movie on Sunday night, I figured it was time to watch something of high quality last night and that is definitely what I did by checking out this classic. I imagine everyone is familiar with the plot of how the police and the underworld of Berlin (as the police's raids trying to find the villain) are on the lookout for a serial killer of young girls, and the ramifications of this. So, let me explain why this is so highly regarded and may be a great director's best movie.

The plot is always compelling. When we start off the killer (what an astounding performance from Peter Lorre; no surprise that people would see him here and want him to do in English language movies and later, Hollywood) is in the midst of his spree and we see the horrifying toll that is caused by the panic over his disgusting crimes, and how paranoia reigns supreme and it is easy for a mob mentality to form and false accusations be made against innocent people. The pressure constantly builds until it finally boils over, the underground get fed up with their business being interfered with and they're on the offensive against Hans Beckert.

I was always interested from beginning to end as the movie goes through various phases; all pieces work well together and it comes together to something truly excellent. You see that the police in Berlin back then used such things as fingerprint and handwriting analysis. Many different themes are explored, which I won't fully spoil here in case anyone hadn't seen it before. I'll just mention they include the danger of vigilante justice, how the mentally ill are treated, and the trouble with mob mentality.

To think that this was the first ever sound picture for Fritz Lang; I knew the visuals would be no problem and they turned out great with the different camera angles and how things were edited together (really, it was far ahead of its time), but sound was a key component here; besides there not being a score, there were several moments where there was no sound at all and they were important moments so it stood out and it was greatly effective. When you did hear sound, it told a story on its own and to think that this was only a few years after sound in movies was even a thing.

Quite simply, if you are a serious film fan and had never seen this before, that is a mistake you must fix sometime, preferably soon. It really is a masterpiece that holds up even 85 years later. The final act alone is incredible and a nail-biting experience.