Frenzy

Frenzy (1972)

London is terrorized by a series of brutal killings in this film, one of Hitchcock’s last efforts. The bodies of young women start to show up with neckties around their necks and evidence of sexual abuse. Here we are introduced to a down on his luck former military pilot named Richard. Homeless he goes to see his ex-wife who takes him to dinner; all while the two bicker with each other. When she is killed the following day he immediately becomes a suspect in the crime. Of course Hitchcock lets the audience in on the fact that Richard isn’t the killer early on by revealing who it is. The rest of the movie is Richard trying to avoid the police while the killer sets him up to take the fall for the crime spree. Eventually Richard is caught and convicted of the crime, but is that the end? No of course not because Richard has figured out who the killer is and breaks out from jail to get revenge for the murder of his ex-wife.

There are points in this movie where it feels very much like a classic Hitchcock movie. Since I’m a huge fan of the man’s work this is a good thing. But while there are flashes of the master overall the movie isn’t without it’s flaws. It is way too long (almost 2 hours) and loses all of it’s momentum by the end. Add to that a very weak ending and even a big Hitchcock fan like myself was ready for it to end. I was also confused by an almost comedic sequence with a body in the back of a potato truck that just didn’t seem to fit the rest of the movie. Especially given the brutal onscreen killing of Richard’s wife the attempts to lighten things up were very awkward. Another issue I have with the movie is the casting of John Finch as the protagonist/hero Richard. He seems like a fine actor, but honesty he isn’t very charismatic and has difficulty carrying the movie. Now Barry Foster as the killer is the exact opposite. When he is on screen the movie is much more interesting and entertaining. Sadly his screen time is limited.

This is clearly a Hitchcock film. The camera work is very good and there is an amazing shot pulling down from the killer’s apartment, down a flight of stairs and across a busy street that is great. I also can’t say enough about how well the one murder that happens on screen was shot. It is surprisingly brutal, gut wrenching, and will stick with you long after you have seen the movie. I never would have expected such a thing from Hitchcock, and it makes me wonder what sort of films he would be making if he were alive today.

So basically Frenzy ends up being a mixed bag. The movie has it’s good points (kill scene, great camera work, and Barry Foster) and it’s bad points (far too long, terrible leading man). If you get the chance to catch this on cable (like I did) I would say watch it. But unless you are a Hitchcock fan you might want to wait until it is on cable again to check it out. Over all it is far from his best work and feels kind of average.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer