North by Northwest (1959)

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2011)

A film that surprises me every time I see it. This will constantly be one of my favorite films as it is a constant barrage of hits. The film perfectly matches screwball comedy, raunchy romance (without ever getting too sexy), action, and mysterious suspense. A trick in recent films is to confuse the audience until the very end, where needless exposition happens. Hitchcock was a master of mysteries because he knew how many unanswered questions to have on the go at any one time, and when to answer them. As the film progresses, new plot twists arrive, making it an interesting and intriguing film. At the beginning, we are as clueless as Grant, but as the film goes on, we see more and more , gradually making us more informed than Grant. This clever respect for the audience means we are never talked down to. The action scenes are as fantastic today as they ever were. The slow build up to the plane scene is the kind of patience lacking in today's shaky cam world. North by Northwest is a perfect movie.