Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- foreboding
- paranoid
- oppressive
- classic cinema night
- hitchcock retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an influential and suspenseful early Hitchcock thriller, strengthened by its atmosphere and innovative visual storytelling despite some dramatic overlength.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alice hides the artist’s death while Frank investigates the case and a blackmailer exploits her fear.
The film turns 1920s London streets, police spaces, and the artist’s flat into charged locations of pursuit and dread.
Viewers know Alice killed the artist while Detective Frank is assigned to uncover the crime.
The artist attempts to rape Alice, and the ensuing death creates the film’s chain of fear, concealment, and blackmail.
Films like Blackmail, and why
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
shared silent-era crime thriller structure, moral jeopardy, and expressionistic suspense
M
shared black-and-white suspense, urban criminal investigation, and a protagonist trapped by guilt
The 39 Steps
shared Hitchcockian suspense, wrongful suspicion, and escalating psychological pressure
Night and the City
shared crime melodrama, coercive blackmail, and morally compromised characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Release Date
- 1929-07-28
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (291)
Cast
- Anny Ondra
- Sara Allgood
- Charles Paton
- John Longden
- Donald Calthrop
- Cyril Ritchard
- Hannah Jones
- Harvey Braban
- Ex-Det. Sergt. Bishop
- Alfred Hitchcock
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Blackmail about?
- A young London woman’s desperate self-defense becomes a tightening web of police suspicion and blackmail.
- What is Blackmail like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blackmail as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Blackmail violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Blackmail as moderate.
- What did critics think of Blackmail?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an influential and suspenseful early Hitchcock thriller, strengthened by its atmosphere and innovative visual storytelling despite some dramatic overlength.
- Which films are like Blackmail?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, M, The 39 Steps, and Night and the City.
- How long is Blackmail?
- Blackmail runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Blackmail?
- In United States, Blackmail streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Artiflix.
