In this Americanization of the 1931 German thriller, both the police and the criminal underworld stalk a mysterious killer who preys on small children.
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Title: M (1951)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| David Wayne | ... | Martin W. Harrow | |
| Howard Da Silva | ... | Inspector Carney | |
| Martin Gabel | ... | Charlie Marshall | |
| Luther Adler | ... | Dan Langley | |
| Steve Brodie | ... | Police Lt. Becker | |
| Raymond Burr | ... | Pottsy | |
| Glenn Anders | ... | Riggert | |
| Norman Lloyd | ... | Sutro | |
| Walter Burke | ... | MacMahan | |
| John Miljan | ... | Blind Baloon Vendor | |
| Roy Engel | ... | Police Chief Regan | |
| Janine Perreau | ... | The Last Little Girl | |
| Leonard Bremen | ... | Lemke (as Lennie Bremen) | |
 |
Benny Burt | ... | Jansen |
|
|
Bernard Szold | ... | Bradbury Bldg. Watchman |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
There is a baby killer loose and the police can't find him. He is a sick, psychotic and confused individual, though guilty. The increased police activity trying to find the baby killer is interfering with the mob's criminal activities. The gangsters are not pleased the intense police attention so the mob decides to find him themselves. The mob bosses send the mobsters out to find him. He is found and the young girl he grabbed is saved. A mock trial is conducted in the basement of a parking garage in front of mass of gangsters who captured him and citizens demanding blood. The baby criminal is defended by a lawyer provided by the mob boss. As the police show up, the mob boss shoots the lawyer defending the baby killer because he is doing too good of a job defending the baby killer. Both the mob boss and the baby killer are taken into custody by the police for justice. As the movie ends and the guilty are led out of the parking garage, we hear the spooky single tune played on a flute ... Written by Hal Wigoda
Taglines:
The Most Gripping Motion Picture You've Ever Seen! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
March 1951 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
M See more »Filming Locations:
Alta Vista Apartments - 255 S. Bunker Hill Avenue, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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The Mayor: Of course you haven't, you know why? You're not thinking this through! Now listen, take a tip, use this!
[points to head]
The Mayor: Put yourself in the killer's place, what would you do if you were a killer? Now you figure that out and you've got your man.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
A number of actors in this film were targeted by HUAC, the House Unamerican Activities Committee, as they were known for their liberal politics. Several of the Actors were Blacklisted. See more »Goofs
When the killer and the little girl are locked in the room, the large shadow of the microphone boom is clearly visible on the wall on the left side of the screen after she sits down on the floor. See more »Quotes
Inspector Carney: I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor, I haven't got him yet.The Mayor: Of course you haven't, you know why? You're not thinking this through! Now listen, take a tip, use this!
[points to head]
The Mayor: Put yourself in the killer's place, what would you do if you were a killer? Now you figure that out and you've got your man.
See more »
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Wow. This is a really under-sung, but still great remake of M.
Like anyone else, I assumed this would be an inferior version of the Lang classic, but this movie stands alone and takes the already disturbing plot to a very '50's place.
If you're interested in noir, and you're seen the original M, you definitely, so much, HAVE to see this. The performance from David Wayne rivals Peter Lorre's and if nothing else, for you Americans, he is surprisingly sympathetic and relate-able.
The original M is one of the first great thrillers and bridges the gap between expressionism and what would become noir in film. This movie serves an exact opposite purpose - it takes the plot of "M" and does an amazing job of turning it in to a local film that both serves as a great thriller and a great commentary on our society.