Fritz Lang is one of the greatest directors in history, and M is one of his finest films. M oozes film noir darkness and callousness, an unbearable vision of the bleak sickness of society. Metaphorically suggestive at every turn, M’s harrowing premise is that the pursuit of a child serial killer is getting in the way of ordinary criminal activity. Thus the criminals, who not coincidentally parallel the police, decide to ferret out the killer themselves. In doing so, they hold a courtroom trial of their own. The film’s cynical and powerful message would already be enough to make it a masterpiece, but Lang also showcases innovative cinematic techniques involving sound and storytelling that had never been done before, raising the films status to even loftier heights. Lang in general and M in particular would influence American film noir masters like Alfred Hitchcock and others for decades.
