"Frenzy"
Reviewed by Heather Picker
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Anthony Shaffer. Starring Jon Finch and Barry Foster, with Alec McCowen and Anna Massey. 1972, 116 min., Rated R.
Alfred Hitchcock's films were more often than not crowd pleasers, so when he embarked on a three-film box-office drought with "Marnie" (1964), "Torn Curtain" (1966) and "Topaz" (1969) which mostly received favorable critical reaction but did little otherwise, Hitchcock himself knew that his next release was critical. Luckily, for general audiences as well as us Hitchcock connoisseurs, he delivered with his 1972 thriller "Frenzy." The wrong man plot, used in so many of the director's pieces of work, is explored in "Frenzy" as the Necktie killer terrorizes London by raping and then strangling his victims, leaving as his calling card a necktie wrapped tightly around their necks.
Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), a bartender who we first see as he puts on a tie, has been having a hard time since divorcing his wife, Brenda, two years ago after a decade of marriage. He is now seeing Babs Milligan (Anna Massey, who makes an impression during her screen time), who works with him at the pub, but things aren't going so smoothly there and after a heated confrontation with his boss, Richard is fired. He goes to see his friend Robert Rusk (Barry Foster, who should've stolen the show but somehow doesn't manage to-though he does have some great scenes), a green grocer (as was Hitchcock's father) who runs a nearby market, and ends up drinking away what money he has and spending the night at a shelter. After a spat with his wife, who runs a dating service he visited her at, he and Brenda set the past aside as she tries to help him sort through his problems.
Within 24 hours, Brenda is dead and Richard is the prime suspect. He and Babs lay low as he tries to come up with a way to clear his name, but it is seemingly impossible because there are no other suspects. I could give away more of the plot without spoiling anything, as the identity of the killer isn't kept a secret for long, but will not. From the opening shot the familiarity of Hitchcock at work is instant, and the amazing shots continue throughout the film's duration. In one striking scene the camera follows the killer and his next victim upstairs and into a hallway, but once the door closes behind them as they enter the killer's apartment, the camera slowly backs down the hall, the stairs and out of the apartment building and across the street.
Though Richard is as drab a character as Henry Fonda's Manny Balestrero was in Hitchcock's 1957 "The Wrong Man," Finch is believable as the protagonist. Black humor abounds, specifically in the scenes involving Chief Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowen, in a terrific performance) and his wife (Vivien Merchant). Cinematography by Gil Taylor ("Dr. Strangelove," "Repulsion"), script by Anthony Shaffer ("Sleuth," "The Wicker Man"). Look for the director's signature cameo early on, during the crowd scene that precedes the discovery of a Necktie killer victim. Hitchcock's return to London (1950's "Stage Fright," though a US venture, was shot there) is memorable and quite engrossing, "Frenzy" comes highly recommended.
© 1999 Heather Picker
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