M is for Metropolis, but also for Murderer. And the reason I know this is because I’ve watched another one of Fritz Lang’s wonderful films: “M”. You can, of course, access the wonderful wiki page for the plot summary and other goodies, or you can read my (much shorter) one:
The whole film revolves around criminal Hans Beckert, who is obsessed with killing very young girls. Under the pressure of general social dissatisfaction, the police, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, under the pressure of repeated police raids, the mafia, decide, each on their own, to go “all out” and catch the serial killer at all costs. Those who find him first are the mafia, with the help of the “Beggars’ Association”, and especially that of one particular blind beggar, who recognizes Hans Beckert after the tune he obsessively whistles. However, the mafia, who initially decide to kill Beckert, is busted by the police in the midst of Beckert’s “trial”. The film ends in a very striking ang expressive way, with an abrupt scene in which one of the murdered children’s mother addresses the viewer directly, to the effect of: “Is this [i.e. the trial] enough? Our children are gone forever! This isn’t enough! We should take more care! The one who should take more care is YOU!”
The film is very interestingly shot, I thought, since the stories are conveyed more through series of images, rather than through spoken words. Also, the sense of the trapping city, the symbolic “witch trials” (people blindly accusing each other out of fear and uncertainty), the characters’ “masks” and “social roles” – they’re all wonderfully conveyed through uncommon shooting angles, expressive (though not overly-dramaticised) acting and always a suggestive décor.
It’s a really good film, so go and watch it! 
