M for Magnificent

If you haven't already, watch the German film M, directed by Fritz Lang. Hell, if you've already seen it, watch it again.

I just finished watching it for the first time and it has renewed my faith in filmmaking (which tends to dwindle after watching crap like Transformers). It is chilling, suspenseful, thought-provoking, and most of all, timeless. It quite simply does not get any better than this film.

M is a film that demands discussion afterward; one of the greatest goals a film, in my opinion, can achieve.


Fair warning: spoilers follow. Please read if you have already watched the film, but please do not read if you haven't! Experience it as it should be experienced!


**SPOILER ALERT**

Was it just me, or were there times in this film where other were just absolutely floored by some of the shots/scenes?
The scene in which the M gets placed on the murderers back was so clever and for me unexpected. This is where the film really picks up.

The blurring of the lines between the underground and police was a great theme that perpetuated the film; Lang did a masterful job with the sound and film editing to heighten this theme. What about the reveal of the jury of criminals? I mean WOW. When they showed the initial group I literally said "WOW" aloud, and then when the camera kept panning to reveal more I slowly uttered "oh my God." Only a film as masterful as this can have one root for the criminals as hard as I was rooting for them.

The two performances that really stood out were Hans Beckert the murderer(played by Peter Lorre) and Schränker the Mob Boss (played by Gustaf Gründgens). They were absolutely perfect in these roles. Beckert with his eyes popping out of his face had the exact look of a troubled, sinister, yet disarming murderer. His eyes...man those eyes. Gründgens was the perfect mob boss. Cold, smart, ruthless, and an absolutely great leader. His judgement was always on point, and held some sort of honor within the underworld, judging by his "fair trial" and mob code of conduct.

**SPOILER DONE**


I could likely go on and on about this film, but I won't. Everybody deserves to watch a great film like this one.

So next time you add a movie to you Netflix queue, make it M for magnificent.