Dial M For Murder [PG]

Tony and Margot are a seemingly happy married couple. But Margot is secretly in love with another man, Mark. When Tony discovers their romance, he comes up with a very cunning and profitable plot to murder her. But the plot falls into disarray when Margot ends up killing her killer in self-defence. Mercifully, due to the lack of evidence, the police are convinced that Margot killed the man in cold blood, but Tony is still far from safe when Mark, who is a famed detective novelist, begins to piece the clues together and comes increasingly close to unravelling the mystery and proving Margot’s innocence. 

Ah Alfred, you’ve done it again. THIS MOVIE IS FANTASTIC! I can’t understand why it’s not in The Book! It’s stylish, sinister, charming, funny, and a real killer; definitely a film that I must add to my collection! 

Tony and Margot are a seemingly happy married couple. But Margot is secretly in love with another man, Mark. When Tony discovers their romance, he comes up with a very cunning and profitable plot to murder her. But the plot falls into disarray when Margot ends up killing her killer in self-defence. Mercifully, due to the lack of evidence, the police are convinced that Margot killed the man in cold blood, but Tony is still far from safe when Mark, who is a famed detective novelist, begins to piece the clues together and comes increasingly close to unravelling the mystery and proving Margot’s innocence. 

Based on Frederick Knott’s stage play, Dial M For Murder is a wonderfully sophisticated and elegant thriller that beautifully melds the genres of thriller and comedy together. Its story engages the audience right from the start, with the murder plan being explained over whisky and pipes; a casual and darkly funny sort of scenario that we’ve seen before in Strangers on a Train and later in Rope. I particularly love the way that Hitchcock approaches these scenes because it causes the audience to bond with every character; thus developing a liking and a rooting for the protagonist who is actually the bad guy. It also doubles the amount of suspense and anxiety that the film creates because we’re rooting for everyone: we want the villain be caught, but at the same time, we don’t want him to be caught. And the frenzies of delight and anxiety that we work ourselves into whilst watching the protagonist make the simplest of mistakes is what gives the movie its power. This, right here, is what makes Alfred Hitchcock one of the greatest filmmakers and one of my personal favourites! 

I must also draw attention to the performance of Ray Milland who stars as Tony. I completely loved him, his charm and eloquence was enough to eclipse the beauty of Grace Kelly and his performance was charming, collected, cunning, unfaltering, and darkly funny. He was a wonderful protagonist! 

Starring Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, and Anthony Dawson, Dial M For Murder is a fantastic film that’s filled with romance, suspense, drama, murder, mystery, investigation, and comedy. It’s perfectly balanced between sinister plot and darkly comedic banter and I absolutely ADORED it!