A deliriously entertaining masterwork

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2008)

Alfred Hitchcock was a certified genius of a filmmaker. He could scare you, shock you, surprise you, enthrall you, make you think, make you smile, make you laugh, and all the while making you a part and parcel of the storytelling and action in his film. His goal was always to make the audience a part of the action and take them along for the ride. He may do this to absolute perfection in this film, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, my absolute favorite film of his. It's debatable whether or not this is his greatest film. A lot of so-called film 'critics' will swear by VERTIGO(although I'm not crazy about it), some say PSYCHO, others say NOTORIOUS, some prefer SHADOW OF A DOUBT, others REBECCA. Who knows? I just know that NORTHW BY NORTHWEST, without a doubt, is the most thoroughly enjoyable, fun, fascinating, entertaining, and eye-popping film that Hitchcock ever did. I love every frame of it. The first 30 minutes alone is more captivating, exciting and entertaining than 99.9% of the crap they throw at us nowadays in the movies.
Cary Grant is Roger Thornhill, a normal, run-of-the-mill advertising agency executive. Grant deserves all praise of being the legend that he truly was for what he does in this film. Grant's Roger Thornhill is one of 'us', a fairly regular everyday Joe who gets thrust in the most convoluted of situations: mistaken for a government agent named 'Kaplan' by treacherous U.S. enemies (led by the classy James Mason), Thornhill is whisked off captive one evening and his life is threatened and he is almost killed, but he thankfully escapes his captors and so the fun begins in finding out who these bad guys are and why they think he is Kaplan.
The film has a kind of snowball effect. Each situation that Thornhill is thrown into or gets himself into is more dangerous than the previous one and he has to find some way to get himself out of it. Hitchcock almost seems to relish scaring the Bejesus out of this guy just to see how he will slick or cajole his way out of it. Thornhill is really an unwitting and unexpected pawn in the battle between U.S. agents and the enemy traitors.
All the qualities that made Cary Grant a star shine through in this film: he is handsome, classy, witty, funny, sarcastic, and surprisingly agile. Whoever thought he could pull off being an action hero after all those years of playing primarily romantic comedies? But he totally gives a convincing performance in this film.
Of course at some point we are introduced to the femme fatale, in this case Eva Marie Saint, who is super-sexy and mysterious in this role. Saint's character makes you realize why so many women found Cary Grant so charming and irresistible.
The film has some of the most memorable sequences and set pieces ever in history: the United Nations murder, the Mount Rushmore finale, and most of all, that magnificent crop-dusting sequence smack dab in the middle of the film that forever captured the hearts, minds, and imaginations of moviegoers everywhere. The scene is all at once action-packed, scary, dangerous, exciting, and funny.
For me, this Hitchcock film (first shown in 1959) can be seen as a very early example of a blockbuster summer action movie. It has all the elements: a colorful look and feel, lots of outdoor scenery, nonstop action, a breathtaking pace, and a central character through which the story is told and that we could all identify with and root for.
Truly a great achievement by both Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant, with big-time assists from a great cast of supporting actors and actresses, a witty script, and the beautiful scenery of various U.S. locations.