
M
4
(450)
Drama
Thriller
Crime
1931
111 min
PG-13
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.
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Drama
Thriller
Crime
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"I’ve heard of this film many times, but I had no idea that it was German, which adds many layers to the social commentary within it. I found it interesting that one of the messages one could get out of the film was that the government and police will use any possible scapegoat, like a serial killer on the loose, to make excuses for limiting citizens’ rights and at time, completely neglect them. I quite enjoyed the suspenseful journey of searching for the serial killer. My favorite elements were when the director played with shadows, like during the killer’s introduction scene, and shifting perspective through the editing of different scenes, such as the back and forth between the two meetings. Peter Lorre was very eerie as the killer. He just had such an unhinged way about him, with his bulging eyes and whistling. It unnerved me. I was quite incredulous of his monologue at the end of the film though. I didn’t buy all this talk about how the killer couldn’t control his need to kill. The man went out of his way to send two different notes taunting the police and went on to threaten MORE murders. He obviously planned somewhat ahead of time. He just didn’t want to be killed by the angry mob when faced with the punishment for his actions."
"Dir: Fritz Lang"
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