Just you wait, it won't be long. The man in black will soon be here. With his cleaver's blade so true. He'll make mincemeat out of YOU!
Wow, and here I thought my movie tastes were diverse. After four days, I have 2 Marx Brothers movies and now two Fritz Lang movies...
This is a movie way ahead of its time. Considered by most to be the grandaddy of all film noir (stylish "dark" crime drama"). It breaks many of the rules all to set the new standards. First off, the protaganist, Hans Beckert (portrayed hauntingly by Peter Lorre) is the murderer mentioned in the quote above. Instead of bright happy cinemetography, Lang uses shadows and darkness to paint the mood of the film perfectly. It is also extremely astounding to see the way that criminal organizations are portrayed as a mirror existence to the police instead of "the bad guys". The film culminates with a critique of our modern justice system that is just as biting now as it must have been almost eighty years ago.
A strong commentary on mob justice and also about how there are some things held as reprehensible to even the average criminal. Enjoyable little classic.
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