A child killer stalks the streets of Berlin. His vicious crimes create a panic among the people. Mistrust and paranoia rule the city. The police force, led by chief inspector Lohmann, mobilises all available resources to search for clues. The cops’ constant raids on Berlin’s lowlife quarters meet with little success, but disturb the activities of the city’s criminal organisations. To get rid of the police, they decide to catch the murderer themselves. In collaboration with the beggar’s association they begin their hunt. A race against time begins, because no one knows, when and where “M” will strike next.
Thanks to his lavish silent productions, such as Metropolis and Die Nibelungen, the German director Fritz Lang rose to global fame in the 1920s. With M, his first sound feature, he created the prototype of the modern crime film. Inspired by the story of real-life murderer Peter Kürten, Lang shows a city in the grip of fear and simultaneously draws a complex portrait of Weimar society shortly before Hitler’s rise to power. A tense thriller that even after nearly a hundred years has lost none of its potency.
Mischa Haberthür
