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Frenzie
(1972)
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thriller
 (imdb rating: 7.3/10)
Plot: A serial killer is murdering London women with a necktie. The police have a suspect... but he's the wrong man.
"Mr. Rusk, you're not wearing your tie. " From the outset, the movie is not a mystery on who the identity of the serial killer but rather how it will all end up. This movie is Hitchcock's next to last movie, it marks his return to London after over 20 years of filmmaking in America. It's a bit of a departure for me as a casual fan of his work, because it is modern and at the same time it looks dated. See this movie doesn't look like an "old" movie but it does look like a movie from the 70s (which it is) as the color (not b&w) and clothes/hair will point to The movie is very British and a clear change from his polished Hollywood features. Where are the icy blonde beauties? The leading men? I was a bit shocked by the explicit nudity (okay, just breasts and by body doubles) shown and the first appearance of that naked body in the Thames river should have given me a clue of the mood of the film Hitchcock's mastery of camera movement is present here with a few shots, including the long aerial opener to the long tracking shot leaving Rusk's place as he kills off a victim he lured to his apt I rather like the name of the "necktie murderer", it's catchy and sounds real. The character of Rusk is the archetypical sexual maniac and it just happens that he is able to frame one of his good friends Blaney when he finds out that one of his victims was Blaney's ex-wife I think there's a bit of a sick sense of humor with having the killer work out of a fruit store as Hitchcock grew up with family (including his parents) in the grocer trade. This is only part of Hitchcock's unusual humor which shines through most of the movie, with the Scotland Yard inspector's dreadful meals at home (a swipe at French food ya?), the potatoe truck scene where Rusk struggle against a dread body's rigor mortis and in the final dialogue of the last scene A bit long I'll admit but the movie has a good pacing and a fine denouement Hitchcock cameo Opening scene where he is a bystander in a bowler hat at the speech by the river Last Updated 12/2/2005 12:02:51 AM 1hr 56min / Directed by Alfred Hitchcock / Starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Anna Massey, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Bernard Cribbins / Language: English / Watched: DVD | ||||
