THE WRONG MAN is a bleak Alfred Hitchcock movie filmed in suitably low-key style with crisp B&W photography and two very deeply felt performances by HENRY FONDA and VERA MILES.

Hitch's fear of police (traumatic experience as a youth) serves him well in crafting the kind of intimidation a man feels when he's unjustly accused of a crime he hasn't committed. Eyewitnesses place him at the scene of the crime and the police are ready to lock him up and put him away in prison.

The only one who believes in him (or his innocence) is his wife, VERA MILES, but she begins to undergo serious mental stress as the situation seems to get more and more hopeless. Eventually, she is driven to the brink of insanity and her heart hardens toward her husband. Vera Miles is excellent in the role, subtle and completely believable.

What distinguishes THE WRONG MAN from other Hitchcock films is that it's all filmed in a brisk, documentary style that leaves no room for the usual gimmicks. It's about as straightforward in its story-telling manner as any of his films has ever been, based on a true life incident in the life of a man falsely accused.

Summing up: Well worth watching, but not unless you're willing to be more than a little depressed by the somber mood.

As this film begins, the audience is no doubt struck with surprise. Instead of the usual hidden cameo by the director, Hitchcock himself addressed the audience in a prologue. He's dark--illuminated from behind and the effect is very striking.

What follows is also very striking because unlike Hitchcock's other films, this one is NOT fiction but based on a real case of mistaken identity. As a result, the show play much differently than other Hitchcock films. It is much more like a well-made American crime drama of the era--stripped of many of the romanticized elements of a Hitchcock film and filled with unexpected touches--such as a jazzy soundtrack and very American character actors you would never see in other Hitchcock films. As a result, the film looks more like real life--real life with much more ordinary looking people. The likes of Harold J. Stone, Nehemiah Persoff and even, oddly, Anthony Quayle appear in this film! It also stars Henry Fonda--a great choice for a famous actor who seems like just a guy. All these actors are quite unlike the Cary Grants and Grace Kellys in many of the director's other 1950s films. So, if you didn't know better, you'd swear this is not a Hitchcock movie and seems very, very removed from his films of the same time period such as "North By Northwest", "The Rear Window" and "Vertigo"--all good films, but also films that are easily seen as escapist fiction.

The film is a dramatization of a case where an ordinary guy is identified as an armed robber. Despite being innocent, there is a lot of evidence against him and it looks like he's assumed guilty until proved innocent. It also goes to show you that court cases based on eyewitness identifications and circumstantial evidence are not all that reliable--and is an excellent way to get the public to question evidence of this sort (especially identifications involving a crime that occurred a year earlier). It may look convincing, but in this case it was dead wrong and nearly sent a man to prison. It serves to show the jail and courtroom procedure without the fluff and adornment of normal crime films--and heightens the confusion of the audience and helps you relate to the poor central character.

It also serves to show how helpless a person can feel in this situation--and how destructive this can be on the accused and his family. Eventually the pressures of the case take a huge emotional toll on the wife--and she slowly loses her mind. This is pretty chilling. It also provided for an interesting appearance, as you see Werner Klemperer ('Colonel Klink' from "Hogan's Heroes") in a very unexpected sort of role.

Of all of Hitchcock's films of the 1950s, this is among his least famous. It's just not as splashy as his other films and it being filmed in black & white make it seem pretty ordinary--even though it's an exceptional film. In other words, it's a rather minimalistic version of a Hitchcock film and some might immediately discount it because of this. Stick with it--it is a very, very good film and seems a bit underrated.

Not one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films(Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca, Notorious, The Lady Vanishes, Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, North By Northwest and The Birds),but one of his most underrated along with I Confess, Sabotage, Stage Fright, Foreign Correspondent and Spellbound(as well as to a lesser extent The Trouble with Harry, which was badly marketed at the time). Certainly better than Juno and the Paycock, Jamaica Inn, Under Capricorn, Topaz and The Paradine Case. The only thing that came across as a flaw was the rushed ending, everything else however was great. The production values are stark but evocative and The Wrong Man generally very well-photographed and atmospheric, loved the close-ups and use of shadows making for some good unsettling moments. There are no gimmicks, witty dialogue, memorable climaxes or Hitchcock cameo so to speak, with Hitchcock directing in a restrained and sombre documentary-like approach. This approach works wonders though, the story- using a familiar theme but doing it differently- is suspenseful, gripping and with genuine bite realism(there are also some sentimental scenes that are very poignant and not cloying or misplaced at all),and aided by Bernard Hermann's unobtrusive and subtly haunting score and tense dialogue. Henry Fonda is superb, he does underplay but he is very believable. Vera Miles is as well and is incredibly moving in the second half. Anthony Quayle is appropriately distinguished and he still performs conscientiously in a role that may have benefited though from having an American actor doing it. In conclusion, a fine film, different for Hitchcock but deserves a lot more attention. 9/10 Bethany Cox