Better than Hitchcock's earlier try at suspense, Blackmail, but still a far cry from his later work. The problem with Murder is that it never seems to find its niche. The movie changes pace so often it's almost hard to keep up with. It opens at a murder scene in which a stage actress, Diana Baring (Norah Baring), seems to have been caught red handed. As the various characters are introduced it looks like we have a classic Hitchcock suspense film building. Before anything really gets going, though, we are taken to Diana's trial, in which we see the entire Jury deliberation in real time. So much time is spent in this setting that you think you're in store for a jury drama in the vein of Twelve Angry Men. The last juror caves, however, and a verdict of guilty is given. Unsatisfied with the outcome, that final juror, Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall), who is apparently now the leading man, begins his own investigation. Now we've got a detective style mystery. That storyline only goes on for about twenty minutes before the killer is pretty much revealed, and just like that, it's a suspense film again! A short game of wits ensues between Sir John and the killer which ends with the killer offing himself and leaving a confession that sets Diana free. In the last few minutes we are suddenly supposed to care about a love angle between Sir John and Diana. There is some good stuff in the film, but it's all too disjointed for you to be able to enjoy it. Good camera work and art direction.
Review of Murder!
