Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Release Date: 1954
Rating: PG
Running time: 100mins
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Actor: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
Alfred Hitchcock is once again able to astonish, shock and amaze his audiences with this murder mystery thriller. With stars appearing such as Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and Grace Kelly once again performing as the 'Hitchcock blonde'. Hitch is again proving his genius by showing us all how little space you need to pull off such a tense and exciting film like 'Dial M for Murder', similarly to others made previously such as 'Rope' and 'Rear Window', the master of suspense can once again show that all that is needed to make such a great film is just one set and a handful of talented actors.
When ex Tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) grows aware that his wife Margot (Grace Kelly) is having an affair with his American friend Mark (Robert Cummings), Tony decides to teach his wife a lesson..for good. However after circumstances lead the murder to go differently Tony has to deal with a completely different murder investigation and has to rely on his brains and charm to talk his way out of his tricky situation.
Similar to other Hitchcock works, 'Dial M for Murder' does rely mainly on dialogue but this doesn't make the film any less tense. The film also holds many Hitchcock clichés that are fondly used in many of his works, such as the obvious one being that there is a murder investigation and features people plotting to murder someone close to them, again rather similar to 'Rope' and 'Rear Window'. Furthermore there's the use of dramatic irony used so we know who the villan is and we follow their footsteps hoping that the other characters will be able to figure out what's going on. One of the things that made Hitchcock films so fascinating and so different is the way that he uses a villainous protagonist and he was able to offer an opposite viewpoint of cinema in contrast with the usual handsome hero.
Despite the age of 'Dial M for Murder' the film has managed to stand the test of time and be thoroughly enjoyable even in the modern day. I suppose for me the key reason for this is through the way that it doesn't try too hard to do too much and rather is made much more tense by it's simplicity and a fantastically evil Ray Milland, playing the role of the British mastermind villain, Robert Cummings playing the handsome American hero and of course Grace Kelly playing the beautiful damsel in distress. It's hard to say too much about this film without giving any away as it really is one of those films even from the beginning it's better you just watch and enjoy without knowing too much.
A truly fantastic mystery thriller that will impress and surprise audiences even today, nice work Hitch you've done it again.
8/10
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