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The main character in the 1972 film Frenzy is Richard Blaney, a down-on-his-luck, former RAF pilot who is wrongly accused of being the serial killer known as the "Necktie Murderer."
Richard Blaney's main goal is to prove his complete innocence of the series of rape-murders and to expose the real killer, Bob Rusk, an acquaintance and Covent Garden wholesale produce merchant.
This goal evolves throughout the film's second half:
Blaney faces numerous, specific obstacles, many of which are deliberately orchestrated by the real killer, Bob Rusk, which reinforces the film's theme of a man wrongly accused (a common Hitchcock motif):
While the AI summary mentions Oxford's arrival and Blaney nearly incriminating himself, it doesn't describe the actual resolution where Rusk is finally caught red-handed when he returns with a trunk containing his latest victim
The summary doesn't mention that Oxford independently begins to doubt Blaney's guilt and conducts his own investigation, which is why he arrives at Rusk's flat at the crucial moment
The summary mentions their arguments but doesn't note that Brenda actually tries to help Blaney financially and maintains a cordial relationship, which adds context to why her murder is particularly tragic
The summary implies Rusk 'forgot' the pin, but sources specify he deliberately removes it before each murder—Babs grabbing it during the struggle was unexpected
In Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), the main character is Richard Blaney, a down-on-his-luck former RAF squadron leader who is wrongly accused of being the "Necktie Murderer"—a serial killer terrorizing London.
Blaney's Goals: Initially, Blaney's goal is to prove his innocence and avoid capture by the police after becoming the prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Brenda. After being convicted and imprisoned for murders he didn't commit, his goal shifts dramatically to escaping prison and seeking personal revenge by killing the real murderer, Bob Rusk, his supposed friend.
Specific Obstacles:
Circumstantial Evidence: Strong circumstantial evidence places Blaney at crime scenes. Brenda's secretary sees him leaving the building just after Bob Rusk has murdered Brenda, making him the immediate prime suspect. His public arguments with his ex-wife and his volatile temper make him appear guilty.
Betrayal and Systematic Framing: When Blaney seeks refuge with his friend Bob Rusk (who is actually the killer and a Covent Garden produce merchant), Rusk systematically frames him. Rusk murders Blaney's girlfriend Babs, plants her belongings in Blaney's bag, and then tips off the police, leading to Blaney's arrest with damning planted evidence.
Conviction and Imprisonment: The combination of circumstantial evidence and Rusk's deliberate framing results in Blaney being convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murders he didn't commit.
The Challenge of the True Killer's Competence: Rusk proves resourceful in maintaining the frame. In the iconic potato truck scene, after hiding Babs's body in a sack of potatoes, Rusk realizes his distinctive jeweled tie-pin (with the initial 'R') is missing—Babs had grabbed it during her murder. Rusk climbs into the moving truck and breaks Babs's stiffened fingers (rigor mortis having set in) to retrieve this incriminating evidence, demonstrating his determination to avoid detection.
Near Self-Incrimination at the Climax: After escaping from the prison hospital, Blaney breaks into Rusk's flat intending to murder him. However, he strikes what he believes is Rusk sleeping in bed, only to discover it's the corpse of Rusk's latest victim. Chief Inspector Oxford—who had begun quietly investigating Rusk and anticipated Blaney would seek revenge—arrives at that moment, finding Blaney standing over the body with a tire iron, nearly completing his wrongful conviction. The obstacle is only overcome when Rusk himself arrives dragging a trunk (to dispose of his latest victim), finally caught red-handed by Oxford.
The film depicts Blaney as an innocent man systematically destroyed by circumstantial evidence and deliberate manipulation, embodying Hitchcock's recurring "wrong man" theme.