A little held back by its era. Basically, a child murderer is sought out by both police and criminals across town. This movie's influence on the noir genre is immediately apparent; the dark tone, the camera angles, the distrust of authority. From that standpoint, it certainly deserves the respect it has. The pacing is also pretty good; the first half is everyone trying to find the criminal, while the second is them trying to capture/punish him. One problem with this movie is the dialogue; every conversation is obvious exposition, and doesn't feel like the way people would actually speak. Another problem is in the editing. There are lots of obvious jump-cuts, speed-ups, and poor use of music (though the first major use of a leitmotif is interesting). Overall, it's worth watching for the historic aspect, but it's not something easy to enjoy.
Review of M
