A timeless thriller and a showcase of Hitchcock's film-making power

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2008)

A gut wrenching, on the edge of your seat thrill ride is more of an experience than a film. Hitchcock's North by Northwest is a masterful adventure film which throws the audience right in with the lot of the character which reverberates with a tension so thick that you would need a chainsaw to cut it. The film builds off the issue of stolen identity and what Hitchcock does is leave the viewer with just as little knowledge as his main character played by Cary Grant. The film takes no time to pick up the story literally throwing the character into something bigger than him, a very much over his head. The time is so short from when we see the character about his daily life to when he is accused of being someone else that the viewer isn't quite sure who he really is. Hitchcock leaves the viewer lost just as Grant is, giving the plot a forward momentum to find the truth. Later Hitchcock reveals that the government knows about the whole mix up and will do nothing about it which will lead to Grant's death. This is the classic Hitchcock: letting the audience know about something that the character doesn't know, especially something which effects said character. Grant's acting is stiff yet the array of colorful characters around him, and the lighthearted screenplay, allows this to go relatively unnoticed. Instead, Grant's adventure is positively enjoyable especially the electric chemistry between Eva Marie Saint and Grant. The lighthearted elements really come out n their early scenes together which allows Grant to flex his witty, comedic muscles. The climax of the film is set against a history landmark, Mount Rushmore. Hitchcock, who is known for such set pieces, uses the famous monument to show a side which audiences have never seen, literally right up the president's noses. In the end North by Northwest proves to be one of Hitchcock's greatest thrillers highlighting corruption in the government and throughout the world. It will keep audiences on the edge of their seats even today, showing that Hitchcock's genius transcends time.