Dial M for Murder

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Dial M for Murder

PG

Released May 29, 1954

1h 45m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

90%

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49 Reviews

92%

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25,000+ Ratings

Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully-orchestrated set-up goes awry, and Margot stays alive. Now Wendice must frantically scheme to outwit the police and avoid having his plot detected.

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Critics Consensus

Dial M for Murder may be slightly off-peak Hitchcock, but by any other standard, it's a sophisticated, chillingly sinister thriller -- and one that boasts an unforgettable performance from Grace Kelly to boot.

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Derwent May

Sight & Sound

Ray Milland is sufficiently suave as the misbegotten genius, and Hitchcock has moved about very sure-footedlv on what continues to be for the most part just a stage.

Apr 16, 2020

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

Ray Milland is great as cold fish Tony Wendice, a former tennis pro who plans to bump off his adulterous wife. Still, Grace Kelly is mis-cast (or misdirected) as the spouse in question.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 26, 2013

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

The set-up is ingenious and the "kill" scene genuinely thrilling.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 25, 2013

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Dial M for Murder is never short of suspense and the master of suspense's first of three films with Grace Kelly is among the top tier of Hitchcock's filmography.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 3, 2023

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

The story never trips over itself and Hitchcock let’s Knott’s script do most of the heavy lifting.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 20, 2022

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Alan Jones

Starburst

It is probably the only 3D film that truly realizes the potential of what such a misused medium can offer a talented director.

Aug 1, 2022

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darlene r

First time seeing this movie. My favorite Hitchcock so far. Stunning acting

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

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Kevin

Absolutely one of Hitchcocks best movies, seen it 25 times and it never gets old.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/08/24

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Blobbo X

Pretty good movie. (Blobbo get slightly confused near ending but that maybe normal for Blobbo.)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

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Garry A

It's not my favorite film from Hitchcock. It's a lot of rapid fire dialog and I found some of it to be ridiculous. It was a clever way the inspector figured out how the husband was guilty.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

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Autumn M

Dial M for Murder is a clever, misdirection thriller. It is very much in the style of Agatha Christie or Clue, as the clever detective outwits the criminal. It was good, but not really my cup of tea. I much prefer stylish capers to these type of stories.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

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John S

The most charitable thing I can say about this movie is that it obviously inspired a tonne of movies that came after it. It's fun to look at, but it's unmercifully verbose and tiresome. Though at least the smug villain gets what's coming to him. I wish the world we live in would remember how bad guys should be treated.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/25/24

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Ray Milland

Tony Wendice

Grace Kelly

Margot Mary Wendice

Bob Cummings

Mark Halliday

John Williams

Chief Insp. Hubbard

Anthony Dawson

Charles Alexander Swann

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Synopsis

Ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) wants to have his wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), murdered so he can get his hands on her inheritance. When he discovers her affair with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), he comes up with the perfect plan to kill her. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the murder, but the carefully-orchestrated set-up goes awry, and Margot stays alive. Now Wendice must frantically scheme to outwit the police and avoid having his plot detected.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Frederick Knott
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 1954, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono

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