AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

MovieManChuck 2.5/4This is one of Hitchcock's earliest works and his first notable "talkie", but as a story, there is a lot lacking. The performance delivered by Ondra was impressive, and definitely the best on the set, as her hallucinations and trauma seemed very convincing. The fate of the story really rests on the lead's shoulders, and in Blackmail, it was a particularly heavy burden.The first 5 or so minutes is silent. You can see people talking, but no sound, only a score. Then, all of a sudden, our female lead steps in and the voices kick in. Her boyfriend is a cop, but she has dinner arrangements with an aspiring artist. When she goes home with him, he tries to rape her and as he does, she fatally stabs him. She quickly covers up any evidence that she was there, and makes an escape. Her boyfriend finds out and tries to cover it up for her so she won't get arrested, but an unlikely witness blackmails her.Interestingly enough, the plot never truly felt wrapped up. To my surprise, they didn't reconcile and establish the outcome of the case, and instead left it to the interpreter. It definitely isn't Hitch's best, even for the late 20's and early 30's, but it's definetely good in both the objective and subjective sense.

Smoreni Zmaj nor is every movie good if it's signed by Alfred Hitchcock. OK, fact is that this is the first British "talkie", and it's even started as silent film. But many silent movies are better than this one. Fact that it was made in 1929. explains and excuses technical imperfections, even acting, but not the story that is completely undeveloped. In this form it could be used for decent episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but to stretch it into 85 minutes movie is pointless.5/10

LeonLouisRicci This is a Tale of two formats. The Silent and the Sound Film. Referred to early on as "Talkies", it was a rather limited labeling since the Sound Era was so much more than that. After all, there was Music and Sound Effects that so often added Depth and Delight to the Art Form.Here is the First British Sound Movie and along for the ride is Hitchcock transforming a Silent Movie that probably took a lot of effort considering the Technical limitations and must have been a learn as you go procedure.It does feel a bit Manufactured at first but quickly settles in and has a number of striking and entertaining flourishes that the Director creates and His Love and Playful Style is in clear evidence. There is much here that is Masterful Manipulation and is effective nerve racking done with a staccato of Montaging that is Excellent Film Craft.The Film also contains an Ending that would be forbidden a few Years later when the Hays Code would restrict many things not the least of which is evading Punishment for a Crime. This is an underrated Movie that takes much heat for its less than smooth transition from Silent to Sound, but that takes a backseat to all the other stunning accomplishments from Hitchcocks embryonic Period.

Jonathon Dabell The first British feature film to be shot with sound (although a silent version also exists), Blackmail is a landmark moment in the career of Alfred Hitchcock. The film is extremely primitive-looking now, inevitably so given its age, but marks an important evolution in cinematic technique. Hitchcock creates some incredible shots and a cleverly unsettling mood here, all very typical of the things we'd come to expect of him as his career developed. Had Blackmail been a bad film it would probably have spelt the end of Hitch's career and we would never have had his subsequent classics to enjoy time and again. Luckily, it's not a bad film… in fact it's a pretty damned good one, more interesting to film buffs and historians to be sure, but still a striking little offering for those curious about this sort of thing.Alice White (Anny Ondra) is a quiet, unassuming shopkeeper's daughter. She is involved in an on-and-off relationship with a dedicated local detective, Frank Webber (John Longden), but is also keeping her options open by dating a mysterious artist (Cyril Ritchard) who lodges in a flat close to her father's shop. One evening, following an argument with Frank, Alice meets up with her artist friend. She allows herself to be persuaded up to his flat, but things turn ugly and the artist attempts to rape her. In panic, she stabs him and kills him. Now a killer with a whole heap of guilty secrets hidden away behind her sweetly innocent looks, Alice struggles to hold herself together as the entire neighbourhood gossips and speculates about the terrible murder that has rocked their little world. Frank – ironically assigned to the murder investigation – quickly realises that Alice is guilty but refuses to turn her in. Things become very sticky indeed though when a slimy opportunist, Tracy (Donald Calthrop), reveals that he also knows about Alice's secret and attempts to blackmail her.Ondra is brilliant as the central character, her performance capturing every subtle nuance of the young girl who goes from homely sweetheart to guilt-ridden killer in one swish of a blade. It's a shame that the introduction of sound effectively ended her acting career (her thick accent and unattractive voice is dubbed here, but ultimately film-makers couldn't be bothered dubbing her all the time, and this stopped her from receiving roles once sound cinema became the norm). She really can act, though, and it is sad indeed that she never got to do more. Hitchcock allows some scenes to drag on and within a few years his approach to editing became much sharper. One must remember that in many ways this is an experimental film, a gutsy leap into the unknown, and for a first attempt at a sound movie (both for the director and for British film overall) it's a pretty assured opener. There might not be a huge audience for a film like Blackmail any more, but for those who care this is a very worthwhile landmark movie.