In London, a serial-killer is raping women and then strangling them with a neck tie. When the reckless and low-class with bad temper bartender Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) is fired from the pub Global Public House by the manager Felix Forsythe (Bernard Cribbins), he decides to visit his ex-wife Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt), who owns a successful marriage agency. Her secretary Miss Barling (Jean Marsh) overhears an argument of the couple, and Brenda invites Richard to have dinner with her in a fancy restaurant. Then she put some money in his overcoat and does not tell him to avoid his embarrassment with the situation. Meanwhile Richard's friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster) visits Brenda in her office, rapes her and kills her with his neck tie. When Richard finds the money in his pocket, he visits Brenda but finds the agency closed; then he goes with his girlfriend Babs Milligan (Anna Massey) to an expensive hotel. Miss Barling sees Richard leaving the building and finds her boss strangled; she calls the New Scotland Yard and Richard becomes the prime suspect. When Bob kills Babs, he frames Richard that is arrested and sentenced to life. But the Chief Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowen) that was in charge of the investigation is not absolutely sure that Richard is the serial-killer.
"Frenzy" is a dark thriller of Alfred Hitchcock about an impotent man that strangles women after raping them. There are powerful moments, like for example the rape of Breda, blended with funny sequences, like the dinners of Inspector Oxford with his wife, who is intuitive and aspirant chef, or the speech of a politician in the very beginning, or Bob in trouble with the corpse in the truck transporting potatoes. The acting is excellent and the camera work is wonderful, with long shots, like for example when Babs enter in Bob's apartment, associated to a disturbing silence. This time, the cameo of Alfred Hitchcock is in the crowd twice in the beginning of the film wearing a hat. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Frenesi" ("Frenzy")
"Frenzy" is a dark thriller of Alfred Hitchcock about an impotent man that strangles women after raping them. There are powerful moments, like for example the rape of Breda, blended with funny sequences, like the dinners of Inspector Oxford with his wife, who is intuitive and aspirant chef, or the speech of a politician in the very beginning, or Bob in trouble with the corpse in the truck transporting potatoes. The acting is excellent and the camera work is wonderful, with long shots, like for example when Babs enter in Bob's apartment, associated to a disturbing silence. This time, the cameo of Alfred Hitchcock is in the crowd twice in the beginning of the film wearing a hat. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Frenesi" ("Frenzy")