M (1931)

 M (1931)

Most often cited for Peter Lorre’s brilliant, three-dimensional portrayal of a tortured child murderer (actually, it's just girls he kills,) the film starts with the heartbreaking vignette of a mother waiting for a daughter who never comes home.

We get brief scenes of Lorre stalking his victims, but then the film spends a surprisingly long time not only in police procedurals, but also in detailing the many ways in which the criminal and beggar guild organizations are upset by the constant raids so that they decide to take matter into their own hands and find this murderer even before the police do.

The cops don’t do a bad job of it, but the criminals are more efficient and much faster.

After an exciting manhunt with the suspect eventually holing up in an empty office building which requires Rififi-levels of ingenuity from the criminals.

The murderer is captured, and an underground court of justice is held where Lorre is finally allowed to do his stuff.

And boy, does he!

This is a complex film where no one come out unscathed, even the mothers who didn’t take care well enough of their children. ("One has to keep closer watch over the children: All of you.")

Officials seek ultimately results only because of political pressure.

The criminal trial is a complex affair that makes a solid case for rights of the accused, arguments for insanity, and what constitutes responsibility of a crime, (is a man less guilty if he can’t help himself, than if he has self-control? How does one murderer get the right to judge another one one?)

“What right have you to speak? Criminals! Perhaps you are even proud of yourselves! Proud of being able to crack into safes or climb into buildings or cheat at cards. All of which, it seems to me, you could just as easily give up, if you had learned something useful, or if you had jobs, or if you were not such lazy pigs. I cannot help myself! I have no control over this evil thing that is inside me—the fire, the voices, the torment!”

But, regardless, there is the practical matter that there never are guarantees, and if one wants to ensure the safety of children action must be taken.

There are no easy solutions, and in fact, the uncompromising film ends before a final verdict and without a clear, satisfactory resolution.

Alternatively tragic, exciting, and thought provoking but also surprisingly funny at times.

Also with Otto Wernicke and Gustaf Gründgens.

A timeless classic and indispensable watching.