M ( German : M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder – M – A City Searches for a Murderer ) is a 1931 German drama – thriller directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre . The film was written by Lang and his wife, Thea von Harbou , and was the director’s first sound movie . [2]
The film revolves around the actions of a serial killer [3] of children and the manhunt for him, conducted by both the police and the criminal underworld . [4]
Now considered a classic, the film was deemed by Fritz Lang to be his finest work. [5] [6]