Rating of
4/4
Dial M for Murder
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 02/01/12
An underrated gem of a thriller without the blood and crazy antagonist. Tony Wendice (Milland) is an ex-professional tennis player discovered about American crime-fiction writer named Mark Halliday (Cummings) and his wife’s activities. A colleague of Tony plans a murder with Charles Alexander Swann (Dawson). Margot (Kelly), Tony’s wife, gets strangled but manages to escape. Chief Inspector Hubbard (Williams) investigates the death of a man in the couple’s place.
The directors’ ability to provide humor and build tension at the same time in a scene is unblemished. Score was thrilling and the artists were convincing. The film’s strength is its camera direction and screenplay. A few lines from the film: Tony – “People don't commit murder on credit.” Hubbard – “Mind you, even I didn't guess that at once... extraordinary.” Mark – “Well, because in stories things usually turn out the way the author wants them to; and in real life they don't... always.” Dial M for Murder is a brilliant mystery that doesn’t need too much violence, just a great story with the right characters to portray the almost perfect crime, which is a rarity nowadays.
