Film review: The Wrong Man (1956)

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Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Written by: Maxwell Anderson & Angus MacPhail

Starring: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles & Anthony Quayle

I know I have already taken a look at a Hitchcock lately so my apologies for being samey, however you can’t ignore a great can you? The Wrong Man is a true story of ‘Manny’ Balestrero, an innocent man with a wife and children to support is accused of a crime he didn’t commit.

In a sense The Wrong Man is a typical but yet atypical Hitchcock film. An everyday man has been caught up in a case of mistaken identity, quickly spiralling from a curious coincidence to a helpless set of circumstances; this all sounds very Hitchcock as it seems to be a popular theme explored by the director. Henry Fonda gives a completely believable performance of the accused, his ability to command scenes whilst making himself appear powerless is compelling and owes to the uncontrollable situation he finds himself in. Vera Miles matches her co-star with an excellent portrayal of a supportive wife tormented by guilt to the point of mental exhaustion, this to a degree splits the narrative into an interesting subplot, which I was hoping would develop further.

Out of respect to the true events and mindful of not distracting the audience Alfred Hitchcock doesn’t make a trademark cameo appearance as he has done in previous films, instead he introduces the picture before the opening credits. The film is thoroughly watchable; you find yourself paying attention to the smallest details, the quick glimpses between characters for instance, this certainly left me thinking - is this wonderful direction or clever misdirection from Hitchcock? The Wrong Man is taken to grittier, more serious and more poignant heights than say his later North by Northwest (1959) movie. Art designer Paul Sylbert designed authentic New York sets and helped Hitchcock achieve some of the films more memorable shots, most notably where Fonda is seen in a prison cell through the door hatch which is done by using a wide angle lens.

It’s really hard to criticise an Alfred Hitchcock, to do so would be some sort of cardinal sin – so best mentioned quickly, I felt that the implications of the wrongful accusation could have been further explored, particularly how Rose Balestrero was affected however this may just be due to Vera Miles’ strong portrayal that added to the intrigue. Perplexingly The Wrong Man is one of those Hitchcock’s that is often overlooked, with some advanced cinematography and captivating performances, this is certainly a plausible drama from the film-noir era that deserves not to be forgotten.