Blind Panic

bkoganbing

If the mastodons over at the House Un-American Activities Committee hadn't
enough reason to blacklist Joseph Losey than his remake of Fritz Lang's classic
M gave it to them. This is Losey's best broadside against the witch hunts and
the blind panic the gripped vast sections of the American public ferreting out
Communists and their fellow travelers.

There's a serial killer of little girls operating in a small American city and it's got
the police baffled. With conditions as they are the police turning up the heat,
organized crime types can't operate so the local Don played by Martin Gabel
starts his own manhunt. He can move into places local police chief Howard
DaSilva can't.

The killer is mild mannered David Wayne a truly pitiable sort when unmasked.
His devolution of defenses is something to see.

Good ensemble cast worked with the leads. A good remake of a classic.

score 7/10

bkoganbing 5 October 2019

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5164708/