M (1931)
M (1931)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: A landmark psychological thriller with arresting images, deep thoughts on modern society, and Peter Lorre in his finest performance.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Hans Bechert

as Mother
as Schraenker
as Child

as Safecracker
as Inspector Karl Lohmann
as Bauernfaenger

as Police Commissioner Groeber

as Blind Peddler

as Police Chief

as Pickpocket

as Minister

as Defense Attorney

as Watchman

as Police Secretary

as Servant

as Landlady

as Prostitute

as The Cheater

as Burglar

as Isenta
as Man

as Woman

as Woman

as Man

as (uncredited)

as Man

as (uncredited)

as Man

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as Man

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as (uncredited)

as Women

as Woman

as Witness / one-eyed man
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Critic Reviews for M
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (0) | DVD (9)
Lang's movie is that rare thing, a nail-biting soul-searcher. While M steers clear of analyzing deviance, it is startling in its musings on which punishment fits an inhuman crime.
Our identification with [Lorre] as a psychopath is so complete it's hard to believe that while appearing before Fritz Lang's cameras in the daytime, he was, at night, acting as a comedian in a farce.
Few films are gripping and effective 82 years after their original release, but this one surely is.
This is a movie that dares to sympathize with a sick person, that risks making the monster real and us (in an era when Germany's cinema was still shellacked in canted angles and fanciful shadows).
The moral issues are complex and deftly handled: Lorre is at once entirely innocent and absolutely evil. Lang's detached, modified expressionist style gives the action a plastic beauty.
An extraordinary, good, impressive and strong talker. Again fine work by Fritz Lang, and his wife and helper, Thea von Harbou.
Audience Reviews for M
Fritz Lang crafts a stunning work of dramatic thrills with his 1931 film M. This being his first talkie after years of making silent films, Lang's direction is superb, and this is a film that is tense, and engaging from the moment it starts. The story is very good, and it has enough effective moments to really grab your attention. This is a picture that for its time delivered something that had never been seen before. Beautifully directed and acted, M is a near perfect picture that broke barriers in the way films told stories. With effective, memorable performances, Fritz Lang has crafted one of the most impressive classic films that I have seen it ranks as a film classic that raised the bar in storytelling and it did this at a time where it was almost taboo to tell a story like this. M is a stunning picture well worth your time, and it's a fine foreign film, and it ranks as a masterpiece of cinema as well. I've only seen Lang's Metropolis beforehand, and is a director who can craft thoroughly engaging picture with very interesting concepts and ideas. Metropolis was extremely ambitious in its ideas, but with M he took a step back and focused on a simpler story, and the result is a stunning piece of cinema that is thrilling from the moment it starts. If you enjoy every aspect of film, then you're going to enjoy this picture. The film stands out because Fritz Lang pushed the boundaries of what you could do with a story, and he is a pioneer in doing so, and M resonates because of it. Overall this is a near perfect movie that is one of the finest film classics that you can watch. With brilliant direction and effective performances, M is a superb picture that helped shape cinema for many years to come.

Super Reviewer
Hans Beckert: What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers off. You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade or if you'd work. If you weren't a bunch of lazy bastards. But I... I can't help myself! I have no control over this, this evil thing inside of me, the fire, the voices, the torment! M was the first talkie from Fritz Lang and it still stands up as one of his best films and quite possibly his best talkie. There's a ton of social issues, especially involving the whole pleading insanity thing. A child murderer is walking the streets and the police, despite their hardest efforts are having absolutely no luck in catching him. They follow every lead and scour the underworld looking for him. This begins to anger the underworld and the criminals that use it. Police are constantly showing up and escorting them to headquarters. Still, they can't find their man. The criminal underworld, with help from the beggars decide to take it upon themselves to find the killer and bring him to justice. M is a masterpiece. A film that is now over 80 years old and still maintains all of its power. Also, all the themes of this film are still perfectly relevant in todays world and will probably always be. Peter Lorre gives a terrific performance, embodying both the evil child killer and the victim of insanity because he can't help what he does. M is a film for fans of noir style films, Lang, and filmmaking in general. This is one of those movies that must be seen once by all film buffs. Not to be missed.

Super Reviewer
A meticulously crafted German crime-drama. Peter Lorre's performance is haunting and inspired, and only complements the sharp screenplay, complex story arc and incisive social commentary.
Super Reviewer
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