M (1931)–A child killer disrupts the lives of his city to until both the police and the organized criminals do everything in their power to capture him.
Directed by Fritz Lang Starring Peter Lorre
Why You Will Like It: Edgy suspense by one of the great master directors
All the things that make this movie great are also the biggest obstacles for many modern viewers. But the movie is worth the effort in the end.
Lang is one of the early directorial geniuses of the movies. With his roots in German Expressionism, a movie is more than just a story told on the screen. It is an art form to be explored and expanded. As a result, his movies are more complex. He is willing to take an extra minute to build suspense or establish the precise mood he wants. Here, Lang leaves sections that run several minutes in complete silence. No dialogue, no sound effects, no music. The director wants nothing to detract from what is happening on the screen even if there is little action at that moment. All of it is a calculated choice as part of the larger concept. The result is a movie different from what the modern viewer’s typical viewing.
Then there’s the subject. The main character, M, is a serial child killer. We see his approach to his victims twice (while the murders themselves are safely offscreen). The vicious manner of the children’s deaths is alluded to, and it will be uncomfortable for many people today. Lang offers no pretense of making his main character likable. He is a deranged, violent man lurking in the shadows. The first child whose murder we “see” also shows the slow agony of her mother, as the realization that something terrible has happened to her child. Told in a simple, uncluttered style, it sent chills down my spine.
That the dialogue is in German with English subtitles will put off many viewers as well.
There’s a single, overpowering reason to deal with the complexity, the topic, and the subtitles.
Peter Lorre.
Lorre was known as a comic actor up to this point in his career. His portrayal of a man in the grip of uncontrollable urges would change that view of him. Unfortunately, it would also associate him with child murder in the minds of many movie viewers. Lorre expressed regret about the role and its impact on his image. But what a performance he offers! Lang reveals the full dimension of who M in slow deliberate steps. Long before the study of psychopaths and serial killers became entertainment, Lorre shows the frayed edges of the man’s existence and his disintegration as the pressure of pursuit grows. When he finally faces the merciless justice of the mob, Lorre gives a terrifying portrayal of the man’s mind descending into shrieking madness. It never goes over the top, not for an instant. That results in a brilliant performance, rarely seen since.
There is a brilliant counterbalance to M’s hysteria, as his advocate makes a compelling argument that no one, not even the State, has the right to end the life of someone whose actions are beyond their control.
The final product is the kind of intelligent, suspenseful movie that so many movie fans long for. It brilliantly combines a director’s vision and an actor’s performance.
Well worth the challenges along the way.
Rating- **** Recommended
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