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    Dial M for Murder

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    “Dial M for Murder” plays like a film you might’ve seen before but in reverse, which makes it feel brand new. Director Alfred Hitchcock maintains a consistent level of suspense throughout, adapts the play to the screen marvelously - with help from the author, Frederick Knott, who also wrote the screenplay - and the actors are all clearly having a great time helping tie our stomachs in knots.

    Margot Wendice (Grace Kelly) has been having an affair with American crime-fiction writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cumings). He’s coming to visit. They don't realize her husband, Tony (Ray Milland) knows of her infidelity. He plans on having her assassinated as revenge. As her husband, this means her money will continue to keep him comfortable long after she's dead.

    You know the rule in heist movies, where if they tell you what the plan is, it isn’t going to work, and if they don’t tell you, it will? This film takes this rule and turns it on its head. We know what Tony has planned for Margot. He’s been setting the machine in motion for a while now. It doesn’t seem like much could go wrong, but it does. Now, you’re torn. Much more back in the ‘50s but today, you don’t exactly sympathize 100% with Margot. She’s been having an affair, after all. Not that you sympathize with the would-be murderer instead, but he’s got something she doesn’t. As the scheming, vengeful husband, Ray Milland is excellent. He’s charming and appealing even before proving how resourceful he can be when things go wrong. You admire his ability to improvise and adapt. You don’t want the plan to go so awry that he’ll get caught - this would cause the movie to end. You kind of want it to go off without a hitch... but not too well.

    Seeing the pieces fall into place is suspenseful and darkly fun. You put yourself in the shoes of all of the characters but primarily, in Tony’s. Everyone’s seen those true-crime TV series that tell you what the villain had planned and how they got caught. We’ve all taken mental notes about the mistakes those people made just in case. Not that you'd ever want to kill anyone, but if you did, you'd want it to be the same kind of perfect crime as Tony's. Unfortunately, there are so many things that could go wrong, it seems impossible… but then again, maybe it isn’t. Either way, it’s been quite the ride.

    “Dial M for Murder” contains many gasp-worthy surprises to maintain the intrigue and suspense. You’ll hardly notice the limited number of locations - a clear giveaway this was originally made to be a play. Certain key shots break the usual moves we’d seen on a stage at just the right spots to show off a key detail - usually an indicator that something’s gone wrong. The marvellous black-and-white photography strips away all the distractions you’d get if it were in colour. It’s all about the scheme and the people involved. It makes for a memorable film. Perhaps not as flashy as some of Hitchcock’s best-known pictures, but excellent nonetheless. You’ll be shocked by how quickly the whole thing flies by.

    I had seen “Dial M for Murder” before and I can’t explain why I didn’t fall in love with it at first sight. It’s delightfully twisted, magnificently performed, tightly written and it’ll keep you giddily nervous up until the very end. (2-D Version, April 9, 2021)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  6.11.2014 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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