Frenzy

Mich fasziniert, mit welcher Selbstverständlichkeit Hitchcock zynischen tiefschwarzen Humor und hundertprozentige Spannung miteinander kombiniert, wobei jeglicher Spaß auf der Strecke bleibt. Und genau so ist Frenzy. Es braucht keine berühmten Schauspieler, kein Riesenbudget, nicht einmal eine sympathische Hauptfigur … Auch so habe ich den Film genossen. Und die Szene des ersten Mordes oder die Fahrt auf der Ladefläche des LKWs werde ich mir immer wieder anschauen, genauso wie die furchtbaren Abendessen oder die Gerichtsverhandlungen hinter den sich ständig öffnenden und schließenden Türen. (01.11.2020)

At the time, especially after the extraordinary failure called Topaz, there were more frequent contrary responses, but Hitchcock’s return to England didn’t turn out well in my opinion. With a few shining exceptions, this is a very unimaginatively directed crime thriller that strives for the greatest possible seriousness and authenticity (the first murder takes too long). It works best during the intentionally comical scenes (“that looks like pig’s feet”). It’s a shame that Frenzy isn’t a comedy from start to finish. Personally, I had more of a problem with the performance of the actor playing the wrongly accused man, who inspired indifference because of his arrogance, which would have served its purpose if we didn’t know who the real killer was after fifteen minutes and a chilling uncertainty could thus pervade the whole film. 60% (06.01.2012)

Probably the highest quality film of Hitchcock's late directorial career, which somewhat deviates from his most famous classic films. This thriller about the search for a ruthless killer of women not only has the classic Hitchcockian element of a man unjustly accused of a crime but is also complemented by elements of black humor, has a decent pace, and a quality cast. Overall impression: 80%. (24.04.2010)

Frenzy is a transcription of the novel "Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square" (1966) by Arthur La Bern. Hitchcock played with London clichés, quoted Jack the Ripper, and Agatha Christie, and offered up a thriller about a tie-wearing killer. The various civilian characters referencing this or that, which the viewer knows very well, as well as the famous London fog, are entertaining. There is the clever wife of the investigator, who has a strange hobby of creating crazy boasts with great foreign names, or the terrible secretary from the local marriage bureau, and finally the pair that arose from that very meeting through an advertisement. Good characters, a suspenseful crime, London at your fingertips - no problems. (23.04.2023)