This Hitchcock film is the rarely-seen follow-up to Blackmail and like most of the Master's most famous films, having a one-word title, Murder contains some brilliant composition of scenes, as well as innovative devices that soon became cinema cliches, such as 'voice over' thoughts of a character seen in tight-lipped close-up; Hitchcock would still be working variations on this as late as Psycho. Herbert Marshall provides a reassuring star presence as the juror determined to prove a convicted girl's innocence. Norah Baring is sometimes quite touching as the girl, and the story is full of well-cast character stars who may or may not be the killer. Impressionistic sound is again used (as in Blackmail) proving particularly effective in the jury sequences.
