Not My Favorite Hitchcock, But A Classic For a Reason

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2010)

A Madison Avenue advertising executive, Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), is mistaken for a Mr. George Kaplan and kidnapped by thugs Valerian (Adam Williams) and Licht (Robert Ellenstein). He is taken to the house of Lester Townsend on Long Island. There he is interrogated by a man he assumes to be Townsend, but who is really Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). When Thornhill repeatedly denies he is Kaplan and says he cannot cooperate, Vandamm orders his right-hand man Leonard (Martin Landau) to get rid of him.
This is a classic tale of mistaken identity -- perhaps the classic tale. And it has a few twists in store, so if that mix-up wasn't enough to keep the mystery going, there's a few more surprises in store.
Eva Marie Saint appears as Thornhill's partner in fake crime, in a much more outgoing role than her reserved "On the Waterfront" persona. I like her... I can't place why, but she's a solid actress and I think underused.
"North by Northwest" is considered one of the greatest films ever made and the greatest Hitchcock of all. I admit, there's plenty of great scenes and the acting is hard to beat... Cary Grant, James Mason and Martin Landau in one picture? Oh, and that climactic Mount Rushmore conflict... but I don't know. I wouldn't say it's my favorite. Maybe not even in my top three. I'm more of a murder mystery guy, I guess.
Or maybe I'm just not big on Cary Grant... hmmm. A great film, to be sure... do see it. I just cannot put my full endorsement behind it in comparison to other Hitchcock, despite what all the critics say.