Not quite Hitchcock

Rating: Null/10 (8 September 2003)

As you watch this film you can see Hitchcock's influence throughout. On whole the film does a good job on recreating the suspense and thrills of early Hitchcock films. The relative small amount of gore was a pleasant surprise considering its gratuitous use in thrillers today. The look and feel of this movie is classic, however the ending is just plain disappointing. The final 30 minutes seems rushed should have been fleshed out more. SPOILER FOLLOWS: Once the viewer comes to the realization that the entire movie up to this point has been a fantastic therapy session in the mind of a schizophrenic killer, the unbelievable parts of the story are not as irritating. The problem is the film does not take its time and allow the viewer to understand that none of what they have been watching is real. Thoughtful cinematography could have made a better distinction between reality and fantasy after it was reveled that this was happening in the killer's fractured mind. But there is really no excuse for not allowing the doctor to realize that there was one more personality alive before the killer dispatches him in the van. Enjoy the look and feel of this movie but be prepared for an ending that just doesn't live up to the rest of the movie.