Fine set pieces, but little sense of pacing or structure

Rating: 5/10 (9 June 1999)

The opening sequences are superb, but, for me, it all goes wrong after the scene in the UN lobby. Just when Hitch should have been tightening the screw, he inserts a scene where a committee of FBI agents reveal to us that they know our hero (Cary Grant) to be innocent. This robs much of what follows of any real tension. Just when the pace should be hotting up, Hitchcock slows things down with that long sequence on the train, which, surprisingly, lacks any sense of danger. As so often with Hitchcock in the 50s, he seemed more interested in glamour than with anything else. And glamour doesn't mix very easily with menace.
The famous scene where Cary Grant is attacked by a plane is fine, but it isn't integrated with the rest of the plot. (If someone wanted to kill Cary Grant, why didn't they just hire a gunman instead of a plane?) The plotline is perfunctory: Cary Grant makes his way into the villain's house, and instantly discovers what one of the best FBI agents has failed to uncover in years. The scene at the auction and the final chase on Mount Rushmore are, once again, memorable. But overall, this film appears to confirm my view that while Hitchcock was superb with individual set pieces, he never gave much thought to the overall structure or pacing. Even at his best (e.g. "The 39 Steps" or "Rear Window") Hitchcock doesn't give an impression of having an artistic vision to impart, which makes his reputation as a great director rather puzzling. No doubt his admirers see more than I do.