Frenzy (1972)

Frenzy
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Anthony Shaffer from a novel by Arthur La Bern
1972/UK
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
One of 1000 Greatest Horror Films on theyshootzombies.com

Robert Rusk: I don’t know if you know it, Babs, but you’re my type of woman.

You know you’re in decline when your set pieces move from atop Mount Rushmore to the interior of a potato truck.  Still this is as good as late Hitchcock gets and is entertaining.

The film begins with beautiful vistas of the River Thames accompanied by appropriately majestic music.  But as the camera focuses in on the bank, we see a victim of the Necktie Strangler floating in the water wearing only a necktie.  The Strangler rapes his victims  before he murders them.

Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) has a hot temper and a giant chip on his shoulder and is now broke, having lost his job at a pub for sneaking a drink he claims he was going to pay for.  He is in a relationship with barmaid Babs Milligan (Anna Massey).  Richard’s friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster) runs a stand at the Covent Garden market and is usually good for a few bob and a place to stay.

Following a night in a Salvation Army shelter, Richard decides to pay a visit on his ex-wife who is a marriage broker.  She evidently still has a soft spot for him, takes him to dinner, and slips him some cash.

This is not a mystery but a “wrong man” thriller.  So we know at all times that Bob Rusk is the Necktie Strangler.  He seems to have fun strangling ladies that Richard knows and Richard is always in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The suspense is will the police figure this out before Richard pays the price.

This represents both a departure for Hitchcock and a return to his roots.  Hitchcock entirely abandons restrictions of the past with a fair bit of nudity and extra-marital sex.  But at the same time this is a return to the wrong man theme and has more of a twinkle in its eye than in his prior two attempts at spy films.  The potato truck scene is exciting.  Actually my favorite part is the poor police inspector who has to endure the results of his wife’s passion for French gourmet cooking every night. Not essential except for completists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaSmVwk36gk