Attack of the B's!

M (1931), Fritz Lang

A serial killer targets young children, much to the dismay of both the cops who can't seem to catch him, as well as the man's fellow criminals. You see, any criminal that is this hard to catch causes problems for ALL criminals. The police subject the townspeople to thorough ID checks and regular raids, which is bad news for non-law abiding citizens. In other words: he's hurting their business. So while the cops futilely search for the killer, the town's other criminals go on a search of their own, proving to be more successful due to their underground network.

Peter Lorre is genuinely terrifying in this film. His facial expressions are that of a truly insane person. Every time he ominously whistles "In the Hall of the Mountain King," you know something unsavory as all hell is about to go down. The ending is mind-blowingly good. Lorre gives a very brilliant, albeit haunting monologue that will stick with you forever.

This was Lang's first "talkie." There are long periods without sound, and the technique proves to be quite effective in building tension. The acting and direction were, of course, superb. This is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the German Expressionist genre, as well as in film history. Highly influential, M's shadowy cinematography, dark subject matter, voiceovers, and use of antiheroes had a large hand in creating the film noir genre.

Grade: A+