About as classic as they come.

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2014)

One thing about Cary Grant's character in "North by Northwest": he's amazingly good-natured about the whole kidnap/murder thing. He's also surprisingly hangover-free after all that booze they pumped into him. Can't say I'd be so happy-go-lucky.
But these are tiny nits to pick in an otherwise top-notch thriller, full of intrigue, paranoia and a bit of whimsy. It's remarkable how suspense just builds and builds in this movie (Hitchcock really was boss). And both the crop-duster and Mt. Rushmore scenes are iconic for a reason (their scramble on the face of the mountain is a real nail-biter).
This movie's got it all: some great action, sharp dialogue between Grant and Saint, and some striking use of locations (the U.N. lobby and James Mason's cantilevered house, especially). Of what I've seen from Hitchcock, it's probably his most entertaining.
9/10