DramaThrillerCrime

- Who is the murderer?

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

Release Date : 1931-05-11

Language :German

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Nero-Film AG

Production Country : Germany

Alternative Titles : Fritz Lang's MM: A City Searches for a Murderer

Cast

Character Name : Hans Beckert

Original Name : Peter Lorre

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frau Beckmann

Original Name : Ellen Widmann

Gender : Female

Character Name : Elsie Beckmann

Original Name : Inge Landgut

Gender : Female

Character Name : Inspector Karl Lohmann

Original Name : Otto Wernicke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Inspector Groeber

Original Name : Theodor Loos

Gender : Male

Character Name : Schränker

Original Name : Gustaf Gründgens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Franz

Original Name : Friedrich Gnaß

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Cheater

Original Name : Fritz Odemar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pickpocket with Six Watches

Original Name : Paul Kemp

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bauernfänger

Original Name : Theo Lingen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Becker's 'Attorney'

Original Name : Rudolf Blümner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Blind Panhandler

Original Name : Georg John

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minister

Original Name : Franz Stein

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Chief

Original Name : Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur

Gender : Male

Character Name : Criminal Secretary

Original Name : Gerhard Bienert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Damowitz

Original Name : Karl Platen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bartender

Original Name : Rosa Valetti

Gender : Female

Character Name : Prostitute

Original Name : Hertha von Walther

Gender : Female

Character Name : Leeser

Original Name : Carl Ballhaus

Gender : Male

Character Name : Staatsanwalt

Original Name : Paul Mederow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Polizeihauptmann

Original Name : Hadrian Maria Netto

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sekretärin im Polizeiarchiv

Original Name : Lucie Rhoden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kriminalbeamter

Original Name : Karl Hannemann

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wiccaburr

@wiccaburr

2021-06-23

The movie is classic and yet this is my first time watching this. Peter Lorre alone is worth seeing this movie as he always played such the great villain. No music keeps your focus on the image and dialogue throughout the movie. Camera work looks pretty awesome especially when they start doing the manhunt. This movie clocks in at almost two hours so there will be a lot of pacing and dialogue to go through. It will feel a bit dragging when Lorre isn't on the screen but it is well worth going through the film to see how it all plays out.

badelf

@badelf

2023-05-31

So you say you want to enroll in film school? Don't bother. Just watch Fritz Lang's M and Metropolis.

James

@JN2012

2023-10-20

Random person: Nobody knows him (The murderer). Woman who lives with the murderer: Am I a joke to you?

James

@JN2012

2023-10-20

Stone cold classic. Certainly one of the best time films about orange peels being littered.

Filipe Manuel Neto

@FilipeManuelNeto

2023-10-28

**One of the masterpieces of classic German cinema.** There isn't much that can be said about this film that almost everyone hasn't already said or written. It is one of the great films of German cinema, one of the best productions that were made before the Second World War and one of the best films in the career of the renowned director Fritz Lang, who shortly afterward would leave Germany due to the rise of Nazism, refusing to deal with that political regime. The film is inspired by real events, namely the murderous path of Peter Kürten, the “Vampire of Düsseldorf”, who terrorized people at the same time and also had young teenagers as his victims. The film manages to capture very well the feeling of fear that existed among the people of the city and the attempts that the police made to find this merciless killer. The cinematography, in black and white, still shows signs of the influence of German expressionism without, however, giving up the realism that the entire film demanded. In fact, I can't say whether the film was inspired by “noir” or came to inspire “noir” later, but I could see the aesthetic and style similarities. Peter Lorre is the only actor who stands out: he brought the main role to life and shines without almost having to say anything. It's an excellent work by the actor and has undoubtedly opened many doors for him.