A little bit of a backstory here: At university my focus was in studying literature and languages, but I had to take a seminar in Introduction to Film Studies. My professor was obsessed with this movie. Especially with it's technicality.

So, we had to watch it. Over and over again. Sometimes just the same scenes about ten times just to analyze camera angles and position of the actors.

And yes, the camera work and really whole direction of the movie is excellently done, but if you have to watch it several times just for this, it becomes a drag.

What I mean by that is, I never disliked the movie, but I also never got the opportunity to appreciate it for what it is. T

That being said, I like to analyze movies, but I'm more interested in the writing than the camera angles (not saying it's not interesting, just not my main focus), after not having watched it for a couple of year I got the chance to experience this film with a slightly different approach and found a new appreciation for it.

It's just a really good and interesting film that deals with a very difficult topic but in such a unique and fascinating way.

It is one of the classics of it's time I'd definitely recommend.

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

**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.

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

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.