More Hits than Misses

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2004)

North by Northwest is a highly touted Alfred Hitchcock film. Ranked among his classics such as Vertigo, Rear Window, and Notorious, N.b.N. is generally thought of as one of the suspense master's all-time greats. It is an overall appealing film but is not on the same level as the aforementioned flicks. There are terrific moments, but the film doesn't come together as well as these other Hitchcock thrillers. The ending is not quite up to par, either.
The movie deals with Roger Thornhill(Cary Grant) as a cool, witty advertising executive in Manhattan. He is wrongly identified as an agent for the government by a crime organization. He is setup and narrowly escapes his first brush with danger. The police do not believe his story, and everyone, including Thornhill's own mother, thinks he is out of his mind. From here, Grant goes on a wild ride to clear his name and find out what the hell is going on.

This ride involves planes, trains and automobiles and he meets up with Eve Kendall(Eva Marie Saint) who is very forward with him, and we can tell right away that she's up to something. Their conversation reminded me of a conversation Frank Sinatra has with Janet Leigh in The Manchurian Candidate. Unlike the latter, which can be seen as having several different meanings and subliminal messages, Grant and Saint have chemistry in their teasing, but it stays rather one dimensional and more formulaic.
Scenes like the one where Grant intentionally gets arrested at an auction to escape a couple henchmen are comical and clever. Even now with computers and high-tech special affect the cropduster and Mt. Rushmore scenes are exhilarating, to say the least. The cinematography is wonderful throughout the picture, and except for the 50's automobiles and attire, looks remarkably fresh and modern.

While Vertigo's ending was one of the most shocking, Rear Window's the most suspenseful, and Notorious' perfectly fitting, N.b.N.'s didn't thrill me quite the same. Perhaps I am being overly critical because of my expectations. The three Hitchcock movies I've compared to North by Northwest are all 10's in my book, while this one gets an 8. I enjoyed watching it and recommend it to anyone, especially suspense/thriller or Hitchcock fans.