One of the best of Hitchcock

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2008)

The 1950s was a mixture of successes and failures for Alfred Hitchcock. Most of his successes are classic thriller films such as Rear Window, Vertigo and Strangers on a Train. Hitchcock did have some failures such as I Confess and To Catch a Thief, but I think by the end of the 1950s, his successes definitely outweigh his weaker pictures and he finished off this decade with the critically and commercially acclaimed thriller, North by Northwest.
North by Northwest follows Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), a 'Madison Avenue', advertising man from New York, whose life is turned upside-down when he is mistaken as a government spy by the name of George Kaplan. He is mistaken for being a spy by a man named Lester Townsend (James Mason), who also seems to be a spy and is paranoid that this so called Kaplan figure has secrets about Townsend's organization. Along with his bunch of thugs, who are led by Leonard (Martin Landau), they attempt to turn Thornhill's life upside-down.
Now a man on the run, Thornhill runs off to Chicago to find the real George Kaplan, who he thinks knows what is going on. However, Thornhill realizes that even when he is on the train, he is being chased. However, a beautiful blonde named Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) is willing to protect him. However, is Thornhill safe with Kendall? Just watch the movie.
Like all Hitchcock films, there are hundreds of things that aren't realistic though set in the real world and lots of highly improbable stuff going on everywhere, but if you give it a chance you'll enjoy it and won't care. North By Northwest keeps the winning streak going, and enjoys a well cemented stay in IMDb's Top 50