The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man (1956)

There's no question Alfred Hitchcock has pulled off something amazing here, a kind of experiment. Entirely based on true events, and without any sense of chase, romance, or high intrigue, and without special effects or even witty dialog, he makes you feel for the main character, Henry Fonda, a man accused of a crime he did not commit.

It's often pointed out that Hitchcock had an enormous fear of the police, and of being accused when innocent. This shows up in many of his films, but never more clearly or more painfully than here. To watch is an adventure in frustration, almost to the point you have to turn it off. But of course, you can't just get up and leave. You have to know what happens.

And the turns of events are so reasonable and yet so unbearable, you just want to get up there and say, do this, do that! It's weird to say, this is not an enjoyable movie. But it's a very good one, maybe flawless in its attempt to trap you as much as the main character was trapped. The surrounding cast is terribly believable, the cops, the wife, the kids. And it unfolds with such dramatic relentlessness. The camera angles (thanks to Robert Burks) are psychologically intense (and edited for discomfort). And the music (Bernard Herrmann, soon to score Psycho) only adds more tension.

Beautifully. As an exercise in precision, and in sticking to the facts, this is as good as a dramatic (non-documentary) film can get. Wikipedia has a small amount of helpful information, and tcm.com has a lot (click on articles or reviews on the left for a range of texts). But of course, watch it straight. See some period New York City scenes (from streets to jails to what looks like the amazing 57th St. bridge at dusk). A wonderful, if not uplifting, movie.

Before i watched The Wrong Man, a lot of people were saying bad things about it, saying it was one of hitchcock's masterpieces gone wrong... and that the acting was wooden and the rest of it, but whatever you do, do not listen to any negative comments about this film!! it is absolutely brilliant !!! It was Hitchcocks first and only documentary style thriller and it works beautifully i think !!! It's based on a true story and i love the opening sequence when Hitchcock tells you about it being a true story... it is very different to any other Hitchcock film you've ever and i think will ever see, but it's brilliant. In my opinion he should have done more films like this.... Also Henry Fonda is absolutely wonderful as Manny... the whole way he handles the situation is wonderful to watch.... Also Vera Miles is amazing as the distressed wife... her perhaps best performance on screen !!

Over all my last words to you would be ... don't listen to negative reports go out and see this film !! it's brilliant and definitely a new and unique Hitchcock Film !!!!!!!!

A must see for all Hitchcock fans !!!

In New York, the Catholic Italian musician of the Stork Club Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero (Henry Fonda) is a simple man, married with his beloved wife Rose (Vera Miles) and having two sons. On 14 January 1953, his wife needs an expensive teeth treatment, and Manny goes to the insurance company, trying to raise a loan. However, he is wrongly identified by a clerk as the man who robbed the place twice, being arrested and sent to jail. His friends pay the bail and he tries to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Rose has a nervous breakdown, caused by her mistrust on his innocence, and is sent to an institution for treatment.

"The Wrong Man" is a very sad and touching story of the injustice against an innocent man, affecting the health of his family. Henry Fonda is amazing in the role of an ordinary man, who accepts passively the situations, believing in God and praying for strength and justice. Vera Miles is fantastic in the role of a wife who believes she has part of the guilty for the action of her beloved husband. This movie was filmed in many authentic locations, and is a very different work of Alfred Hitchcock. Maybe due to the theme being so serious, Hitchcock appears only introducing of the story, and does not have any other small participations as he usually does in his movies. The black and white photography, with shadows, and the score of Bernard Herrmann, complete the magnificence of this great underrated movie. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Homem Errado" ("The Wrong Man")

Note: On 10 November 2024, I saw this film again.

The name of Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, is and will be eternally linked to his most well-known masterpieces such as "Psycho" or "The Birds"; sadly, this has left "The Wrong Man" in the obscurity as an overlooked gem that in fact deserves to be seen and appreciated by film enthusiasts worldwide.

The true story of Emmanuel Ballestrero (played superbly by Henry Fonda) and his unfair imprisonment when he is accused of a crime he did not commit, is represented faithfully in Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man", with all its frightening realism.

The most important thing about this movie must be the fact that it is based on a real life tragedy, this is a big difference from the rest of the Hitchcock's work. The Master adds more realism to the movie by keeping a low profile direction, almost in a documentary style. Gone are the camera tricks, the contrived plots and the suspense; in "The Wrong Man" we have a scary noir-esquire tale of crime in its more realistic way. In fact, Hitchcock himself decided to turn his cameo into an "introductory speech" because he felt that a cameo would take away the realism of the movie.

As I wrote above, the script is very simple, and without plot twists or a clear McGuffin to look at; nevertheless, the master guides us through the suffering of this man as he is humiliated by the police in sheer realism. Hitchcock takes away his characteristic dark humor and gives us a grim tale of injustice, probably fueled by his own terrible fear of police. This fear is latent in every frame, and the fear of imprisonment is particularly shown in all its scary magnitude when Ballestrero is locked for the first time, the camera gives depth to his prison and Fonda's expression is superb.

Henry Fonda gives one of his best performances ever, as the quiet every man who works as a musician in a bar. It is a very realistic performance that alone worths the price of the movie. I dare to say that this is probably Fonda's best role. The rest of the cast is average but its understandable because the movie is completely focused on Fonda, all of them give very natural acting that fits the tone of the movie. Notable exception is Vera Miles, who gives a Tour-De-Force in his representation of Ballestrero's wife, who suffers a nervous breakdown when his husband is in jail. Vera's acting is outstanding and her performance shows the mental decay that Mrs. Ballestrero suffered in real life with scary realism.

As you probably have noticed, the perfect description for this movie is "scary realism", that is what "The Wrong Man" is, a realistic portrait of a tale of injustice and how a man had to go through hell just because the justice had picked, the Wrong Man 9/10. Overlooked gem.

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.