Alfred Hitchcock is a direction who’s commonly known as the master of suspense, and Dial M for Murder is one of his films that really exemplifies why he has that moniker. On paper, this is a movie that could have easily been generic, but with the Hitchcock special touch it becomes something really remarkable.

The movie is about a man who has found out that his wife is having an affair. Over the course of a year, he sets aside money and devises a plan to kill his wife and receive her fortune. However, he needs time to craft the perfect murder that won’t be traced back to him, so he ends up blackmailing an old friend of his to carry out the deed for him, giving himself an alibi in the process. When his plan is told in the beginning, it sounds like the perfect idea, but what Dial M for Murder does really well is show how no matter how carefully and detailed you plan something like this out, you can never account for everything, and things are bound to go wrong. To say anymore would be delving into spoiler territory, and I want people to see this for themselves.

Last week I reviewed an old movie called Seven Samurai, and in it I noted how as a film lover I think it’s a masterpiece, but that I could recognize that it’s a movie that doesn’t have a lot of mainstream appeal for casual movie viewers. I feel the opposite about Dial M for Murder. A lot of people are always really reluctant to watch old movies, but this is one that I think is really accessible for a lot of people. It’s one that I could genuinely recommend to a casual work acquaintance and know that they would actually enjoy it too.

The only thing that might be hard for some people with this movie is if you’re not good with movies that are heavy on dialogue. Basically the first half hour of the movie is just people talking in one room, and the rest of the movie doesn’t really pick up much more action past that. This is why in the hands of a less talented director Dial M for Murder might not have been that great of a movie. However, the movie succeeds because it’s such an engaging story, and even when it is just characters talking it’s really exciting. Still, I know dialogue-heavy movies aren’t for everyone, so if you have an aversion to that, it’s worth keeping in mind.

Other than that, I think that Dial M for Murder is definitely an Alfred Hitchcock classic. It doesn’t get talked about quite as much as other ones of his, like Psycho or Rear Window, but it’s still a really excellent suspense film, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on a lot of top 10 Hitchcock movie lists. Seriously, check this one out, it’s still just as enjoyable and thrilling to this day.

4.5/5