A Trip always worth the ride.....

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2011)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, the style of film making is composed of a few key traits that results in the movie being ranked so high.The plot is novel and there are plenty of plot twists that keep the audience constantly engaged. The film is a great mystery thriller that has inspired countless films over the years, but remains the gold-standard in classic star vehicles: imaginative, romantic, exciting, funny, and endlessly entertaining. It incorporates a number of Hitchcock trademarks, from visual striking camera work, humour, and his often used technique of keeping the hapless hero in the dark until the end of the movie.
The film begins by dropping us right in the middle of confusion: Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), a Madison Avenue business executive, is mistaken for a George Kaplan, supposedly a government agent, by Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), a spy. Thornhill insists that Vandamm has the wrong man, but Vandamm is unconvinced and decides to kill him anyway. Thornhill escapes, but ends up on the wrong side of the law. While trying to clear himself, he digs himself deeper into the hole resulting in both the police and Vandamm's thugs hot on his pursuit, resulting in a 3000-mile cross-country chase. While on the run, he bumps into Eve Kendall (Eva Mary Saint) . Thornhill is caught between feelings for Eve, risk of death from Vandamm's goons, and a U.S. government agency with a vested interest in continuing the charade. How all this is resolved in a clear and consistent manner is what makes this script and direction so great.
However, writing and direction alone, as imaginative as it is here, do not make for the greatest movies. All of the actors do an excellent job in realizing the potential in the script: Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint offer rock-solid performances. Martin Landau is a great villain as Vandamm's henchman. This is acting at its most brilliant.The dialogues are amazing, they stay in your memory for time to come.
The movie is so action-packed that it is easy forget some of the holes in the plot. These are minor quibbles - the plot twists are so numerous, and lead our attention in so many directions that we don't notice Hitchcock's sleight-of-hand.
To conclude,NBN is filled with sly humour and many memorable scenes including the unforgettable crop dusting scene and the finale atop Mt. Rushmore, North by Northwest is a trip always worth the ride.