M - 1931

M is a brilliant film for so many reasons. Fritz Lang's masterpiece is usually considered Metropolis, and I cannot speak for it as I have yet to watch it, though from what I have seen M is hands down Lang's finest film. I absolutely loved everything about this movie, from beginning to end, and from what I have read it is the first movie ever made about a serial killer. Because it is German I think many people from America will overlook it as one of the greatest films ever made. I mean nowadays people just don't seem to want to sit down and watch a movie in a different language than their own, and that is a real shame, M is far better than most films ever made in America.


M follows the story of a town which is one day under the attack of a man who looks as if he has an eye for children. A child goes missing and is suspected to have been murdered, then after that child after child begins to be kidnapped. But there is one very big, important problem. No one has any clue or starting point as to where the killer lives, or who he is. This soon starts many problems, as a man is now arrested basically anytime he talks to a child, with police strictly roaming every inch of the town all the time. But this is not just a problem for the common folk, the criminals dealing with organized crime can no longer make a living due to the police around all the time, so they decide to team up on their own and hunt down this man.


M is not a performance heavy film, and though I usually do not like that, it does work here. The acting was good by everyone, but I don't think there is really much to talk about or praise, just that the acting was good all around. Except I must admit, during the final act Peter Lorre was fantastic in his role as the murderer. He may not do a whole lot of acting in the film, as his character does not require it, but that moment at the end of the film was incredible.


To me, however, the most impressive part of the film was the direction by Fritz Lang and the writing. The entire vision of the film is brilliant beyond words. Despite being in 1931, M is not for a moment a boring film, and that was a bit surprising considering Lang is a director that has obviously dealt with silent films. There is no real attempt to hide the identity of the killer, but I love everything about how this film is developed. It was an amazing thing to me how M was made, and I would honestly like to learn more about it. The first half of the film it shows us everything about the children being kidnapped, and how our killer works, and if you pay close attention, it gives a bit of the ending away fairly early. But then as the second half comes to a close and we hear the explanation of the killer, that is when I realized just how great of a film M is.


Overall, M if you are a film buff looking for a great movie, M is a true classic in the art of film making. It is both creative and unique, especially for its time. Every moment in this film was fantastic, and if you can appreciate a film from 1931, you will love this movie.

Rating: 10/10