When a man is accused of a crime he didn't commit, it makes for one of the most awe-inspiring (albeit overused) character situations in a movie. Across every genre, it is a plot device that works wonders -- 12 Angry Men, The Dream Team, The Fugitive, and even Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Aside from 12 Angry Men which is probably immortal in this contest, I think Frenzy would rank among the best three or four I've ever seen. It's got one of those erratic, ball-grabber scripts, it'll have you nodding your head or maybe even talking back to the characters. It lays out all the evidence for you, once and again, and we just sit down and talk.

But there is far more to Frenzy than a bunch of guys around a table discussing what may or may not have happened.

Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) has the worst luck this end of the galaxy. Or so he tells his wife. As if things could not get any worse, he walks in on his wife's murder scene at the most inopportune time possible -- a few minutes after it's been done. Doesn't help anything that it turns out to be one of the "necktie murders", a recent string of killings done by... well, strangulation with a necktie. Secretary spots Richard leaving the building, she tells the cops, and it's marathon time.

In 1972, Frenzy would be the second last film that Hitchcock released, just behind Family Plot in 1976. Seeing as how this film came along a good 20-30 years after the "prime" of the man's career, I expected it would have a few more of those modern elements. Ya know, like nudity. Okay, seriously, I wasn't expecting to see bare breasts in this thing. But on the other hand, I don't feel terribly inclined to complain.

Basically, the whole movie is Richard hiding out with his various connections, including a very sexy Anna Massey as Babs, the bar chick he works with. Oh.. excuse me, worked with. One of the first things that happens in the movie is that Richard gets fired for drinking free beer on the job. He claims he always pays for it. Strangely, this conflict is never fully resolved, but big whoop when he ends up on the run for murder!

While hiding out, Richard has to find out who the necktie murderer really is. We the audience find out pretty early on when Richard's wife (Barbara Leigh-Hunt) gets a pretty graphic strangling (and an oddly hilarious "tongue aftermath"). But Richard? He's gonna need some major luck.

The fun part of Frenzy is that you also get to see what all the killer's up to. But, as you've probably heard already, the killer's "big rape scene" is about as unsettling as even the most intrepid scenes of a similar nature today.

There are a few minor things that don't quite fit together; I refrain from getting too specific, but upon later speculation, they might occur to many viewers as well. It's nothing that detracts from the experience of watching the movie, though.

Not having James Stewart or Cary Grant as the main man doesn't hurt Frenzy at all. I was particularly intrigued by Finch's moustache for some reason. It's just that many of the cruelest bad guys in movies were always the ones that had the moustache. Patrick Bergin as the obsessed and abusive ex-husband in Sleeping With The Enemy and Michael Biehn as ex-SEAL Tom Coffey in The Abyss come to mind. So seeing Finch's moustache made me think right away that he was going to end up being the killer. On the other hand, he's not what most would consider to be the traditional uber lovable good guy either. Nice to see guys with moustaches getting a fair treatment in cinema though.

Oh yeah, I absolutely love the way this movie ends.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older