The Wrong Man

source: The Wrong Man

Trailer—The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man

THE WRONG MAN has to be the scariest film made by Alfred Hitchcock. The driving force is it's realism. Based on a true story, we follow a struggling Queens musician (Henry Fonda) falsly accused of local robberies. We don't have suave Cary Grant dodging cropdusters or Mount Rushmore. There is no darkly funny Robert Walker making quips about murder. It's all frightfully real- the arrest process, the breakdown of Fonda's family (An incredible performance by Vera Miles as his wife) and the grueling courtroom process. The opening hour of unsmiling detectives checking Fonda's story, and watching Fonda become more defenseless is outright chilling.

This is an under-appreciated Hitchcock film. It concerns a man, Henry Fonda, who lives a full life with his attractive wife, played by Vera Miles. One day, a man is killed during a holdup, and the description fits Fonda to the ugliest detail. What happens is not so much the usual search for the true killer, but a downward spiral in the mental and emotional being of the couple. Henry is confident in the justice system and the police. He believes because you are innocent and you will never be convicted falsely of a crime. This is naive and because the accusers are so certain, he can't defend himself. His alibi is worthless. Of course, things are going to come to a head. However, unlike most of the Master's films, there is a tragic element to it.