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The Man Who Knew Too Much

Play trailer Poster for The Man Who Knew Too Much 1935 1h 15m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
On a family vacation in Switzerland, Bob (Leslie Banks) and his wife, Jill (Edna Best), become friendly with a man staying in their hotel. When the stranger is assassinated in their presence, the vacation turns dangerous. Before dying, the stranger passes along a secret to Jill. Then, to keep the couple silent, a band of foreign assassins kidnaps their daughter. Offered no help by the police, Bob and Jill hunt for their daughter as they try to understand the information that they have.
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The Man Who Knew Too Much

Critics Reviews

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TIME Magazine Oct 25, 2017
The story is told in sharp, abbreviated sequences gathering speed steadily toward their explosive climax, makes The Man Who Knew Too Much one of the neatest melodramas of the year. Go to Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Mar 27, 2009
4/5
This is a suberbly structured thriller whose excellence is aided and abetted by a spirited cast. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Mar 27, 2009
Although the film is fast and consistently clever, it is more deeply flawed than any other Hitchcock film of the period, failing to find a thematic connection between its imaginative set pieces. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Jun 28, 2026
8/10
...the story unspools like clockwork while salting in clues that are more obvious on repeat viewing. Go to Full Review Forsyth Hardy Cinema Quarterly Feb 4, 2021
The acting is for the most part simple and straightforward, but there is real subtlety in the performance of Peter Lorre, the Dusseldorf murderer of M, as the anarchist leader. Go to Full Review Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy) Esquire Magazine Apr 17, 2020
A sort of British G-Men plot, proving that calmness in crisis is more terrific as a suspense medium than the constant rattle of machine guns. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Nathan Y @NathanYatesDouglass Oct 8, 2026 Hitchcock continues to keep us guessing with weird scenes and great character work. Yes, the ending was a bit predictable, but it was still satisfying. This movie is surprisingly violent but it is part of the storytelling. See more Diane N @Niedi737 Sep 5, 2026 Much better than the remake with Doris Day. Que Sera Que Sera.... See more bruce C @bruce999 Aug 3, 2026 this is the best version of the story. spy story, that is worth seeing.... even though its an old movie. has suspense, emotion, drama See more John R @RT91501528 Jul 17, 2026 The plot is serviceable, there are some interesting scenes and cinematography, but the acting is horrible even for its time and genre. See more nick S @Nick_S May 17, 2026 An ambitious movie with some big sets. However, pretty rough around the edges for Hitchcock. The editing wasn't too great; the story writing and acting also sub par. It's easy to understand why he wanted to remake it. But still not a bad watch. I mean, Peter Lorre. See more Autumn M @RT26919073 Aug 28, 2025 I really like Alfred Hitcock's earlier movies so much better than his movies that were filmed in the 1950's and the 1960's. The dialogue is often sharper, and the acting more subtle. That said, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a well-paced thriller. I did not care for the simplistic plot that much, and I did miss my favorite golden age stars that would come later, but yet it still kept my attention. Definitely worth a watch. See more Read all reviews
The Man Who Knew Too Much

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Cast & Crew

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Leslie Banks

Bob Lawrence

Peter Lorre

Abbott

Edna Best

Jill Lawrence

Frank Vosper

Ramon

Hugh Wakefield

Clive

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The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis On a family vacation in Switzerland, Bob (Leslie Banks) and his wife, Jill (Edna Best), become friendly with a man staying in their hotel. When the stranger is assassinated in their presence, the vacation turns dangerous. Before dying, the stranger passes along a secret to Jill. Then, to keep the couple silent, a band of foreign assassins kidnaps their daughter. Offered no help by the police, Bob and Jill hunt for their daughter as they try to understand the information that they have.
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Producer
Michael Balcon
Production Co
Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd.
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 22, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 12, 2016
Runtime
1h 15m
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