I really like the direction Hitchcock took with this film.

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2018)

North by Northwest is a breezy espionage thriller, much lighter in tone than Hitchcock's later cold war spy movies, Topaz and Torn Curtain, and a whole lot more enjoyable as a result.
Cary Grant plays Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill, who is abducted by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) and his cohorts, who have mistaken him for an FBI agent named George Kaplan. Unable to convince the enemy of his real identity, Roger escapes and goes on the run to look for the real Kaplan, aided by a beautiful, mysterious blonde Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint).
The action moves along at a brisk pace, with charismatic lead Grant making for a likeable protagonist and Hitchcock delivering a couple of his most iconic scenes-the crop duster attack and the finalé on Mount Rushmore-both of which are excellent. It's not all perfection-the moment where Thornhill is framed for murder is laughable, the poor sap grabbing the knife buried in a man's back and then turning towards a news photographer who just happens to have his camera at the ready-but for a couple of hours of pure escapism, North by Northwest is a good way to go.