
Blackmail
1929, Mystery and thriller, 1h 26m
23 Reviews 2,500+ RatingsYou might also like
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Blackmail Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Alice White
Det. Frank Webber
Tracy
Mr. Crewe
Mrs. White
Mr. White
Critic Reviews for Blackmail
All Critics (23) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (3)
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A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb.
January 10, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Blackmail is most draggy. It has no speed or pace and very little suspense.
March 26, 2009 | Full Review… -
The director, Alfred Hitchcock, frequently fails to see that his scenes are adequately lighted and more often than not the images do not stand out as distinctly as they might if more attention had been paid to the shading of the interior walls.
March 25, 2006 | Full Review… -
Blackmail marked Hitchcock's first use of sound, and it remains famous for its innovations in that area. But it's now more stimulating for its experiment with narrative structure.
February 9, 2006 | Full Review… -
Like most of his British films, Blackmail is a sign of things to come rather than Hitchcock at his height, but it shouldn't be missed.
June 13, 2005 | Full Review… -
Blackmail is perhaps the most intelligent mixture of sound and silence we have yet seen. It is not a great picture, it is not a masterpiece...But it is a first effort of which the British industry has every reason to be proud. It is Hitchcock's come-back.
January 13, 2021 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Blackmail
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Apr 19, 2012This film being from 1929 is the oldest movie I've seen in my life. It was one of Hitches early works and it was pretty good. Yes it was hard not to be bored at times but with an old movie like this you have to accept that if it happens. The story was mediocre but it was still so well paced it could give you the chill, especially that final scene.Daniel D Super Reviewer
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Nov 15, 2011The master in his early days. Even for his first talkie, his visual style is just as brilliant in 1929 as it would be in later years. Whether it be the use of a curtain to disguise some foul play, his immaculate use of shadows, of the way his uses the lights to illuminate a characters overwhelming guilt, Hitch suggests more with a few frames than most directors do in an entire film. While the pacing isn't as streamlined as it would be in later films such as the 39 Steps, it is still fascinating to see just how ahead of his time he was even in the dawn of his career.Reid V Super Reviewer
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Dec 28, 2010Nothing like a good Date-Rape movie. (Just Kidding). PS -Watch it for free on online ;)Sean G Super Reviewer
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Nov 29, 2010On the one hand, the story is very simple, but slow and dragged out, which is kind of annoying, and the nothing is really resolved the way it should. On the other hand this movie is visually interesting, much like later Hitchcock films, and it's one of the first sound films too. Overall, it's interesting to see, but the story could be a lot better.Aj V Super Reviewer
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