Although Dial ‘M’ for Murder does not have the morbid touch of Rope, the overall creepiness of Psycho or the technological advancements of Vertigo, the film remains one of Hitchcock’s best. The film begins with a woman named Margot (Grace Kelly) eating breakfast with her husband Tony (Ray Millard) then cuts quickly to her with her lover Mark (Robert Cummings). Through clever casting, Grace Kelly’s character is never seen as an adulteress but as a woman who is in a marriage that is no longer bound by love.

After being introduced to the three central characters, the plot is set into motion when Tony calls an old college acquaintance and blackmails him into murdering his wife. The plan of murder is discussed in meticulous detail and Ray Millard does excellent work at portraying a cold and calculating husband who wants his wife dead.

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On the night of the murder, things go wrong. Details are missed and the entire murder goes awry. Margot, in self defense, kills the would-be-murderer.

With the plan unsuccessful, the major dramatic question of the film turns from whether the murder will be carried out to whether the husband will get away with attempted murder.

The performances are very calm, even when Margot is attacked, her demeanor is rather understated compared to what most modern women would do and cry out in hysterics. The details on what occurred on the night of the attempted murder are reviewed by a detective that enters the story and we are again swept along for what might happen.

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Hitchcock, again, uses a very controlled way of setting things up. Some takes are long as if watching a stage play (which is the original source). The only real cinematic element about Dial ‘M’ For Murder is that when it was released, it was released in 3D. Although watching the film now, the shots that were meant for 3D seems more of a gimmick than an actual necessity. The story holds up on its own. This is a great Hitchcock film and should be viewed for anyone who likes this type of genre in the Talented Mr. Ripley realm.