M

1933 "Who is the murderer?"
8.3| 1h51m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 14 May 1933 Released
Producted By: Nero-Film AG
Country: Germany
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

Genre

Drama, Thriller, Crime

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M (1933) is now streaming with subscription on Max

Director

Fritz Lang

Production Companies

Nero-Film AG

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M Audience Reviews

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
josephcamplese This film is directed by the amazing directer Fritz Lang, and "is one of the best films iv'e seen in a while." is what I said as a child and I still stand by this. M is one of the greatest films ever made and hears why. The film stars Peter Lorre as the serial killer and this film has great casting I couldn't imagine this role being played by anyone else and that's why this performance is so believable he obviously cares about the role and the end scene is the best showcase of his acting. The end scene is brilliant the room is full of hypocrites and one of the judges is wanted for 3 murders so he looses all of his credibility as a judge and the murderer posing as insane to avoid death is a good move . but the end scene is not the only good scene the whole movie is good but you will have to watch the film for yourself to see it's brilliance.beware this film is subtitled but it's a slow burn that really pays off the message at the end still makes sense today and even more so in today's world and this is why M gets a 9/10
adonis98-743-186503 When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt. The story for this film sounded very promsing and just so good but unfortunately ended up being a boring film where people talk to each other for hours and not alot of things do happen in general in the end. The acting was not that good but shouldn't i be expecting it by now? As for the pacing? the movie unfortunately dragged alot and in the end this film titled 'M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder' was just an overrated failure of a picture. (0/10)
TheNabOwnzz M has to be one of the most influential movies ever made, both technically and psychologically. With an outstanding Peter Lorre, suspense that outsuspenses Hitchcock, excellent cinematography and a deep sociological layer added to it, M is one of the masterpieces of the psychological thriller genre.It is a film devoid of typical humanitarian propaganda, yet it is not the case that we immediately feel the need to relate to the child murderer Hans Beckert ( Peter Lorre ) since Fritz Lang also shows us the effects his gruesome crimes have in the form of the police constantly raiding establishments, the grieving parents & random people accusing eachother of the murders. It is not a movie that forces its opinion on you, but causes you to think about what is truly right and wrong. Hans later claims he cannot help himself because he has an irresistible compulsive urge to kill which cannot be stopped, much to the dismay of other career crooks who claim they only commit crimes to survive and take no pleasure or feel no compulsion towards it. It is a psychological kind of movie that is still as relevant as ever today as it was in 1931.Peter Lorre is ofcourse the perfect fit for the psychopathic child murderer, he has the perfect innocent wide eyed look for a psychopath, who seems to even be likeable when he is not murdering children. His signature whistle by Edvard Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King is a nice creepy addition to his character which he uses to lure kids to their doom. Ofcourse the incredible shot at the start which focuses on Hans's shadow on the poster that lists his crimes and reward for capture while talking to a little girl before killing her is a great ironic symbolism to announce his character.It was Lang's first sound picture, yet only two third of the movie was shot with actual sound while everything else was shot silent. This was primarily to keep the costs down since sound equipment was very expensive at the time. It creates a weird mix in constant transitioning from silent to sound. Yet as Lang has stated it adds another layer to the eeriness the movie has, so it only enhances the experience instead of unimmersing you out of the film. The cinematography is revolutionary in its use of low key lightning, which is a technique that was used many times after in the classic Film Noir era in Hollywood. The result is many Film Noirs share a visual resemblance with M due to their dark tone. Not only visually, but psychologically many themes of M have been repeated throughout the years in cinema. It was one of the first instances of a semi-sympathetic look on a pure psychopathic murderer, which has been repeated countless times in later years.Some might feel sorry for Beckert for having this affliction of which he cannot be helped while others would prefer to see him hang, the movie doesn't shove the right answer down our throats, and it's possible to look at it from either way without having a right answer. It is a sociological thinking man's picture that is as relevant now as it ever was.
Scott LeBrun Peter Lorre is absolutely unforgettable playing that most despicable of criminals, the murderer of children. The police of Berlin are having a very tough time identifying him as the culprit, but ultimately he is found out. Not by the police, but by the city's criminal underworld. They determine to mete out their own brand of vigilante justice. Not so much for altruistic motives, but because the increased police action is hurting their way of life.This early sound effort for both Germany and the highly regarded filmmaker Fritz Lang is a classic example of that form of cinema known as "Expressionism". It's stunningly shot and directed, counteracting its police procedural aspects with a matter of fact depiction of the machinations of this underworld. There's no music score, but then the script (by Thea von Harbou and director Lang, based on an article by Egon Jacobson) gets by just fine without one. Director Lang is still able to generate sufficient tension without that kind of assistance.A film of this kind wouldn't quite be to all tastes, as some people might feel that there is more talk (and the script *is* dialogue heavy) than action. But there is also plenty of wonderful black & white imagery on display, and a riveting climax where these gangland bosses give Lorre their own version of a trial.Although one shouldn't feel pity for such a beast - and Lang doesn't try to make the viewer feel that way - the killer is turned into a vivid, compelling character by Lorre. He desperately tries to make the case that he's not in control of his own actions, and is simply compelled to murder. He may not be pitiable, but he *is* pathetic.86 years later, the theme is still extremely relevant, and the fact that the story was at the time contemporary and not a traditional Gothic or anything like that gives it real immediacy. The setting may have been Depression era Germany, but much of the dialogue could easily be heard today.Nine out of 10.