M

 This cinematic masterpiece truly blew me away so thoroughly that I'd feel comfortable slinging that kind of cliche in a blog that my snobby little brother might read. It started a little slowly, but as my brain warmed back up to the language, the film warmed up as well, and began moving. I realized soon how pointed the political commentary was in something as simple as a camera angle (it took me hours of pondering to come to that conclusion). Although the politics can be shunted to side-note status, the crime-fiction angle really caught my attention. I watch crime drama on television almost obsessively, and I've read mystery stories since I ran out of good Fantasy novels (it didn't take more than about five years). The moment the boardroom scenes opened up into real action, I suddenly realized how ground-breaking a film I was watching, and how completely these ideas have rooted deep into the Hollywood psyche. My eyes actually widened in shock.

This film was Fritz Lang's first talking film, and certainly master material already. Rottentomatoes.com reports a whopping 100%, although audiences stick it at around 96, which just makes me giggle. If you read through the reviews, though, it's almost as if these professionals are trying to critique Shakespeare - they feel as if they MUST rate Lang highly, but seem to focus on irrelevancies, or leech off of things some other expert has said, like they're afraid to say what they really think, lest they be found wanting in the exchange. I was amused.

Peter Lorre's performance was pretty typical of Peter Lorre. You'll see nuances, and energy, and something nearing sympathy from a character drawn starkly as a child molester and serial killer, but you won't see any facial expressions you didn't see in Arsenic and Old Lace. Come to think of it, Lorre's performance in that particular film really had a lot more depth than was strictly necessary (an assessment I have adjusted since seeing M).

If you don't speak German, resign yourself to haphazard subtitles, but resign yourself nonetheless. SEE THIS MOVIE.