Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

mmallon4 The Wrong Man is based on the true story of Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero (Henry Fonda), who was arrested in 1953 after being mistaken for an armed robber. Like in the other Henry Fonda film 12 Angry Men, The Wrong Man is also an examination of the flaws in human cognition - in this case, the issue of faulty eyewitness testimony. However, this isn't actually Fonda's first film on the subject matter. Previously he starred in 1939's Let Us Live, another film about a man who is falsely arrested due to poor eyewitness testimony. Both films differ greatly in their plot structure and characters but surprisingly the one thing they share in common other than the subject matter and the lead actor is interestingly enough, an emphasis on Catholicism. It remains to be seen however if Alfred Hitchcock looked at Let Us Live as a source of inspiration for The Wrong Man.The Wrong Man is absent of any Alfred Hitchcock or Hollywood artifice but rather the movie has that European, neo-realism feel. A film which really captures the urban landscape in all its glory which is only enhanced more by the sounds of the city and the jazz music score; a hallmark which really characterises noir in this period with films such as The Sweet Smell of Success. Likewise, the film has several shots really worth examining from Fonda walking through the doorway of his house and closing a door we the viewer never see to the zoom through the open slit in the prison door onto Fonda and then back out again.The Wrong Man has no witty dialogue or Roger O'Thornhill style adventures to capture the real culprits. Rather Hitchcock creates something which is oppressively real. A story which really gets under your skin, questions your faith in the criminal justice system, arises your inner skeptic and makes you ask: what if this happened to me? The Wrong Man does as effective a job as possible in both showing and making us feel the degradation Manny Balesterero goes through. In my mind there existed the doubt that Manny really did commit the crime but such a crazy plot twist never comes to fruition.During the scene early in the film in which Manny visits the Insurance Company Office and the woman at the booth goes over to her work colleagues and asks them to look at the man standing over there in which they all agree he is the man who robbed them months earlier is an example of what we would now refer to as confirmation bias. It this scene an unintentional representation of this or did Hitchcock have knowledge of this phenomenon (the term itself wasn't coined until 1960).Some of the elements of the criminal procedure shown in The Wrong Man would not be permissible today; subjects being arrested without being given the Miranda Rights or informed of the crime they are suspected off, interviews being conducted without a written or taped recording being kept, two witnesses allowed to be present together during an identification parade. Manny is even denied the formality of letting his wife know where he's going despite literally being in the house he is right outside off: would that even have been allowed at the time? Likewise, notice how the friendly cops keep referring to Manny as Chris. The name on his license if Christopher Emmanual Balestrero thus they assume he is called Chris. - The Wrong Man is full of little details like this.On a lighter note though, what is up with the Balestrero's two kids? "We ought to get two music lessons today because we didn't get any yesterday" - You're father was just in prison yesterday child, cut him some slack. Likewise in another scene on the kids answers the phone and just puts it down and when his mother asks who it was he just says "it was some man, he didn't say" - stupid kids.When Manny is at the police station being questioned by two cops he is made to write down on a piece of paper the words from a note the robber had written himself. The results show that Manny's handwriting is similar to that found on the note (although the cops don't hold this against him as they state people tend to write in a similar manner when using upper case) but also that Manny misspells the word "drawer" as "draw" in the same manner that the criminal did on the original note. Surely this is a flawed piece of evidence? Firstly a real criminal could take advantage of the situation and alter his handwriting. Secondly, the officer reading out the note to Manny has a heavy accent and made his pronunciation sound like "draw" not to mention the actual note he is reading from says "draw" and not "drawer" which could have affected his pronunciation a very subtle, subconscious way. Not to mention there is something very suspicious about the way the two cops handle the notes as they hand them bank and forth between each other.The courtroom scene in The Wrong Man is itself chilling. People are chatting, walking in and out, bored, dozing off, the jury is disinterested and Manny's lawyer appears to just ask the witnesses stupid questions which lead nowhere. Manny's entire future is on the line yet nobody seems to care. Regardless the real criminal gets caught and Balestrero is acquitted. However, the Fonda "lookalike" does not resemble Fonda and looks far more thuggish other than having the same face shape and cheekbones (in the real life case Balestrero and the actual criminal looked far more alike). The last appearance of those two smarmy women who first identified Manny at the police station, making no apology to Manny when they see him after his exoneration for all that has happened to him and his family. I always had a bad feeling about them since their very first appearance.

JohnHowardReid Henry Fonda (Manny Balestrero), Vera Miles (Rose), Anthony Quayle (Frank O'Connor), Harold J. Stone (Lt Bowers), Esther Minciotti (Manny's mother), Charles Cooper (Matthews), Nehemiah Persoff (Conforti), Laurinda Barrett, Norma Connolly, Doreen Lang.Director/producer: ALFRED HITCHCOCK. Photography: Robert Burks. Screenplay: Maxwell Anderson, Angus MacPhail. Film editor: George Tomasini. Art directors: Paul Sylbert, William L. Kuehl. Music: Bernard Herrmann. Associate producer: Herbert Coleman. Copyright 1956. Released: 22 December 1956 (New York, Paramount); 26 January 1957 (USA); 10 March (U.K.); 20 June (Aust.). The full 108- minute film (including Hitch's cameo as a Stork Club patron) was shown only in Australia. Warner's DVD contains only the 105-minute version.COMMENT: Despite the negative views of contemporary critics, there's nothing wrong with this Wrong Man. True, it's not typical Hitchcock. As he himself explains right at the beginning, every word is factual, but other-wise it carries just as much suspense, just as many surprising twists and turns as any fabricated thriller. Fonda is ideally cast. It could be argued that the other players act in his shadow, but that's the way it is. True, Anthony Quayle, Harold J. Stone and Vera Miles give strong portrayals. And technically, the movie is fascinatingly accomplished.

Christopher Reid Henry Fonda is a bass player for a band in the Stork Club in New York City. The club is real and they filmed scenes inside the actual club. Vera Miles is his loving wife and they have two boys. He is wrongfully accused of a crime and we share his experience. That's the basic premise of this movie. It's all based on a true story and as I understand, it's quite accurate. This movie is very different from Hitchcock's other films. He even introduces it himself in person, speaking directly to the audience explaining so.Normally, Hitchcock films revolve around murder, intrigue, suspense, the anticipation of disaster, deception, extreme human emotions like paranoia and obsession, characters doing risky things and hoping to not get caught. The Wrong Man is unique among his films that I've seen. We simply go through the motions of a man being mistakenly arrested. It's a scary concept but one that is obviously realistic. Many innocent people have been put to death or spent years in jail. And this movie delves into the kinds of emotions such a disturbing turn of events could provoke.I think it works because it focuses on Henry Fonda's point of view. We put ourselves in his shoes and feel his growing frustration and apprehension. The cops seem more like mean mob gangsters than righteous police officers. They treat him the way perhaps a violent criminal might deserve. But knowing he's innocent turns the crime back on the police. They take him through some tests and assure him that an innocent man has nothing to worry about. But they are increasingly brusk and it seems clear that they quickly find his innocence laughable.I recognised Herrmann's style early on. It's such great music. I love his motifs. Little slices of melody repeating with harmonic tension coming and going. It just works so well. It really enriches the movie and adds to the atmosphere.I love Hitchcock's direction. It really brings out emotion. We get quiet, close shots. Low angles, shadows. But mainly in key parts, not constantly. The film suddenly becomes dream-like but not in an obvious way. We feel as though time slows down and we meditate on this moment that lasts an eternity. Is that the killer? I can't bear to look. He focuses on what the characters are seeing and how they feel about it. The camera-work reflects their mental states.Fonda's innocent, fearful face is haunting. His wide open eyes. His confused, concerned expression. How is this possible? Is this really happening? He is so calm under the circumstances. They casually deny him the right to first speak to his wife. He's always on time and doesn't want her to be concerned. When he finally gets a temporary break from his ordeal, a relief from having his freedom abruptly taken away, he nearly collapses. Suddenly the weight of it hits him. He didn't have time to feel anxious, he was in survival mode. It reminds me of Tom Hanks at the end of Captain Philips or even the way you seem to sweat more *after* you finish running than during.There is a scene with a lawyer where Vera Miles visibly withers during a shot. It's subtle but powerful. You feel this cold hopelessness fall upon her. Resignation to her husband's fate. Any sane person would go insane in such a situation. There is no way to rationally accept that your loved one will be wrongfully put away in jail and there's nothing you can do about it. We want to feel hope and probably she does as well. But subconsciously she knows the chances are slim. And such thoughts can consume you.The Wrong Man may seem like a simple movie. No complicated plot or side-plots or too many characters. Not many twists really. Its suspense is in the slow torture of everything going wrong for an innocent man with a nice family. It can be hard to watch at times. But it observes the human emotions involved so honestly. We enjoy it because we really feel something and connect with the characters.It raises some moral questions as well. What kind of a legal system allows such errors, such injustices? The unnecessary stress and pain caused could be incalculable. I admire the way this film was made and it was every bit as tense and engaging as Hitchcock's other masterpieces. It is also quite moving and I even feel like I developed a love for the characters. I wanted to hug them and comfort them. I don't know how I would cope in such a situation.

grantss Excellent (true) crime-drama.Based on a true story. In a case of mistaken identity, a musician is arrested for armed robbery. All the evidence is circumstantial but his prospects look grim. Pretty soon the trial starts to affect his family too...Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a great story of injustice and its consequences. More a drama than a thriller, for once, as we see the affects on family life and relationships. More character depth, subtlety and human drama than most Hitchcock movies. However, Hitchcock still uses his skills as a master director of thrillers to create a great feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness. Henry Fonda puts in a solid performance in the lead role. However, he is miscast, being far too old for the character. Good support from Vera Miles and Anthony Quayle.Proof that fact is often stranger than fiction...