Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to have his wife murdered after discovering she is having an affair.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Former tennis champion Tony Wendice learns that wife Margot had an affair with crime writer Mark Halliday and plans her murder. He blackmails former acquaintance Charles Swann into carrying out a precisely timed attack inside the couple's flat.
Why it belongs
Dial M for Murder designs one apartment as a clockwork trap through keys, phone calls, blocking, and the pleasure of watching a perfect plan encounter resistance.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
A latchkey, telephone dial, desk, curtains, stockings, and high-angle views make the flat's geography pinpoint. Ray Milland's smooth Tony continually answers setbacks with new stories while Grace Kelly's Margot fights to be believed.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250167AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness8.3
Engagement8.7
Ease8.5
English · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Tense & Absorbing
