A grocer's daughter kills a man who tries to sexually assault her. Her boyfriend, a policeman, attempts to cover up the murder. However, a small-time crook witnessed the act and threatens to blackmail the couple. Only Hitchcock's second crime film, Blackmail would sow the seeds for many of his masterpieces to come, including Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960).
Assigned a creaky play about a tramp and a cop meeting over a corpse in a disused house, Alfred Hitchcock threw in whatever he could: Cockney comedy, proto-noir lighting effects, pre-39 Steps bondage for the hero and heroine, and a chase to end all chases with a runaway train, a Green Line bus an...
