Frenzy (1972)

"Bob's your uncle.", 2 April 2008

I didn't realize that Frenzy was so divisive among Hitchcock fans. As with the last Hitchcock movie I watched, The Trouble with Harry, Frenzy seems to have more than its fair share of critics. The criticism of both movies seems to derive from a similar source – Hitch deviated from what people expected. I'm not sure why people want to see the same movie over and over, but if you read the negative user comments on IMDb, you'll get that impression. What's wrong with shifting gears and making a comedy like The Trouble with Harry? And what's wrong with turning up the violence and making a movie like Frenzy? In each case, I appreciate what Hitchcock was trying to do and thoroughly enjoyed both movies.

Frenzy is essentially a "Wrong Man" type movie that Hitch visited several times throughout his career. You know, an innocent man is accused of a crime and spends the rest of the movie on the run from the police trying to prove he's not guilty. In this case, Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), a down on his luck and out of work bartender, is accused of violently raping a series of women before using his necktie to strangle them. Through some really bad luck, the case of circumstantial evidence against Blaney grows to the point that he becomes the only suspect. Tried and convicted, Blaney vows revenge against the man he knows to be guilty.

I don't know that I would call Frenzy Hitchcock's best movie as some have, but it is a very entertaining thriller. It's an odd but satisfying mix of the most violent images (the first rape and murder are difficult to watch) and some of the darkest, funniest comedy (the potato truck or the dinner scenes for example) that Hitch ever made. Hitch proves his genius by masterfully balancing the two – violence and comedy. And if you weren't already convinced of his reputation as a director, Hitchcock throws in a couple of very nice tracking shots, a clever use of sound, and a few other tricks that I won't begin to attempt to describe (just watch the movie) for good measure. Hitch also shows his genius through some of his casting choices. Other than Finch in the lead (he's just not a very sympathetic figure to me), the rest of the actors are incredibly strong. Barry Foster gives one of the more memorable performances I've seen recently. He's just so creepy. In fact, all of the supporting players, from the prim Monica Barling played by Jean March to the hysterical Vivian Merchant as a would-be gourmet chef, are perfect. And when you add the nice location shots and an interesting, well written script (have the words "you're my type of woman" ever been so menacing) to the direction and acting, Frenzy becomes a very worthy and memorable entry in Hitchcock's filmography.

8/10