The Wrong Man

One of the most unusual films in Alfred Hitchcock's canon, The Wrong Man eschews the humor, romance, and thrilling set pieces of the director's most famous movies in favor of something sober, grim and grounded in a kind of realism that we don't expect from the Master of Suspense. Inspired by a true story, the film stars Henry Fonda as Manny Balestrero, a working-class husband and father of two boys who works nights as a musician at the Stork Club. When Manny is identified as a hold-up man, he's picked up by the police, booked, fingerprinted, and arraigned in court, all of which is presented in a slow, methodical manner. Throughout, Fonda carries the dazed look of a man who can hardly believe what's happening to him. Hitchcock's films are usually full of ordinary people in extraordinary situations, with mistaken identities sending innocents on dangerous journeys. Here, however, the story is unobtrusively presented with mundane detail, exposing how the stress of such an ordeal takes a very real toll on the people involved, especially Manny's wife (Vera Miles), who slips into depression and emotional withdrawal. Debuting on Blu-ray with extras including a “making-of” featurette, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)